


Destiny's Chosen

by UnknownUnseenUnheard



Series: The Infinite World [14]
Category: Final Fantasy IX, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Child Abuse, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 10:59:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7755079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownUnseenUnheard/pseuds/UnknownUnseenUnheard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Keyblade Master has fallen. Sora didn't know how it happened. What he does know is that he and Harry Potter now share the same body- and Sora's the kind of person who will do anything for those he loves. So, he'll protect this boy. And, of course, Ventus, Vanitas, Roxas and Xion are along for the ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Warnings: None for this chapter. Unless you count spoilers for a game you've probably already played and beaten.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Two Teens and a Baby**

Sora didn't know how it happened.

Memories are fragile things.

They can be manipulated.

They can be changed.

They can be twisted.

They fade with time.

And, most important of all, they can be suppressed.

Sora suspected that this case was suppression in particular. Most people, of course, wouldn't have noticed. What's the point of messing with someone's memories if they're aware, afterall?

Sora, however, was not most people.

Sora, Unlike the typical person, had the displeasure of once meeting a charming smiling blond girl with a penchant for memory manipulation that had left him, the victim, unconscious for months on end to fix the damage.

Not that Sora blamed Namine for that. No, he was too kind in that regard.

Marluxia, however?

Well…

Let's just say there was a reason that particular member of the Organization was no longer among the living.

Sora felt himself flow away.

All that he was seemed to break apart. Looking around, he could see his rather vast array of other personalities seem to split as if they were constructed of paper.

Roxas.

Xion.

Ventus.

Vanitas.

It was then that Sora realized what this was.

This wasn't him fading into the dark. This… This was possibly worse than even that.

"Oh. I lost. I'm… Dying. Huh."

Sora didn't think after that. Sora was gone after that.

* * *

Voldemort didn't bat an eyelash as the Mudblood fell before him. Lily Potter gave a final shuddering breath as her body dropped. With a dull thud, she collided with the floor, eyes wide and unseeing. The Dark Lord then turned his eyes towards the small child. Disgust soon filled him as his gaze locked with that of the child's.

This…

This boy was destined to strike him down?

Him?

The most powerful sorcerer in the world, felled by the tainted son of a Mudblood and a Bloodtratior? The very notion was inconsolable! It was insane! Asinine! It made his blood scream in rage!

Voldemort was far from sane.

One does not split their heart into so many shards and expect to remain sane. The heart, the soul, call it what you will. Voldemort was a strange being in that regard.

He was like Vanitas, a being of pure darkness. Simultaneously, he was like the Nobodies, beings who had lost their hearts, their souls, the true ability to feel anymore.

Yes, Nobodies could eventually grow new hearts. However, these new hearts were, to be blunt, inefficient. Only the original would suffice. Voldemort had no heart. He had no soul.

Voldemort lost that long ago, alongside his humanity. He'd surrendered it in exchange for immortality.

And that darkness he'd so lovingly embraced showed itself now as he waved his wand.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

Destiny, however, is cruel.

For, what other explanation would there be as Voldemort's curse rebounded upon himself and little Harry screamed?

* * *

Sora's eyes snapped open. With a start, he felt a shock pass through his body.

"Where?..."

Destiny Island.

He was back.

Back home.

Back where it all began.

Sora's shinning blue eyes took it all in, from the glimmering ocean that reflected the sunlight to the warm sand beneath his feet, the old treehouse, the encroaching darkness that threatened to swallow everything whole again-

Wait.

Encroaching darkness?

With surprise, Sora leaped up.

"What's happening?"

"Huh. That was quick. Figured we'd last more than a year that time."

Sora spun at the voice.

A shot of relief filled him at a familiar face. Ignoring the crack of thunder above and the rapidly darkening skies, Sora cried out.

"Roxas!"

The blond, however, shook his head.

"No. I'm not Roxas. At the same time, I guess I am. You could say he's our kid if you think about it? I mean, he's us mixed together, so..." The blond titled his head in confusion. Confusion that Sora could emphasize with. The blond then shrugged. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. What does matter is-"

"Ventus." Sora interrupted, excitement filling him. This was the person he had been sent to find! Master Yen Sid would be-

Except.

Sora was.

Well.

Dead.

"Who I am doesn't matter! What matters is that our vessel is… Well. Dying."

Sora froze.

"Vessel? Wait, were inside someone?"

Sora vividly remembered his own brutal duel with Roxas. He remembered the desperation, the despair, the utter hopelessness shining in the eyes of his counterpart…

Because Sora had taken everything.

Sora's very existence meant Roxas couldn't live as well. Sora hadn't understood that, however, and had just assumed Roxas was another rouge member of the Organization so Sora had responded the same way he'd responded to Xaldin and Demyx.

Then, the second part of Ventus's words penetrated his thoughts. Sora paled.

"Dying? This… Vessel is dying?"

Ventus nodded grimly.

"If it wasn't for the fact that he's your reincarnation, he'd be dead, period. But, you're a Keyblade Wielder who literally died, became a demon, and then lived again. While still technically being split in half. Seriously, other than you, the only one to survive like that is Xehanort."

"You also got split in half too." Sora couldn't help but point out.

Ventus shrugged.

"True. But, unlike you, it was a lot less messy. Xehanort knew what he was doing. My two halves were still human. You, on the other hand, got turned into a Nobody and a Heartless. And you were both pretty much conscious. That's unheard of, except with Xehanort. But that's not the point. The vessel is dying."

Sora grimaced. The island around him was shattering apart even as they spoke. It reminded him of when it had actually happened in his memories.

That was not a pleasant experience.

"Is there anything we can do?"

Because, there had to be something, anything. Sora didn't want this new person to die.

"You'd have to take control."

Sora froze.

Slowly, his eyes met with Ventus'.

"Define 'take control'."

"This boy won't survive out of his own will. He's too young. You'll have to take control, completely."

Sora shuddered at the very idea. It made him sick to his stomach.

He never told anyone about his nightmares.

He never spoke of those few moments when he wasn't in control of his own body.

Then again, everyone else had seen. They'd assumed it was Sora's own internal darkness. In a way, they were right.

Vanitas counted as internal darkness, right?

"Like Vanitas." Sora shuddered at the very thought. Ventus grimaced and Sora hid a wince.

Riku had broken Sora's possession. Ventus had broken his own, and it really hasn't been pretty.

"I won't!"

"Then we die here! Chose!"

Sora gripped his head. Not good. Not good. The wind around them picked up. The old Palm tree was blown to pieces. What to do, what to do, there had to be another solution, another way, anything!

Suddenly, with a snap, Sora got it.

Grinning, his eyes locked with Ventus'.

"Got it."

And the world flashed around them.

* * *

_Shh. It's alright. I've got you._

Little Harry, however, just kept on crying.

Mommy… Why wasn't mommy moving? Why wouldn't she get up? Was this a new game? Harry didn't like this game. He didn't like that man. He didn't like pain that green light had caused and everything was messy and Harry was scared.

A sudden sob broke through Hardy's thoughts. Blinking, the toddler looked up.

"Oh, thank Merlin!"

Harry found himself swept up.

"Pa'foo!" He cried. Strong baby arms wrapped around Sirius's neck as the little boy cried onto his shoulder.

Sirius sighed.

"There, there. It's okay, little guy. Uncle Pa'foo has you."

Except Uncle Pa'foo didn't keep him. Instead, despite Harry's protests, the toddler was handed over to Hagrid.

And that was how Sora found himself waking up in the back of a toddler's mind, trapped in a broom cupboard of all things.

* * *

Ventus stood tall and proud.

"I won't let you harm them. Either of them."

The wraith- for that's all it could be truly called- hissed. A keyblade flashed into Ventus' hand as he deflected a thin shadow blade that the wraith shot towards him.

"I've contained evil before. I used my own body to seal away a monster before, and trust me, you are nothing in comparison."

With that, Ventus struck.

This… Thing wouldn't be escaping. He'd make sure of that.

* * *

A/N: So, I had a spin off request for a KH reincarnation story featuring Sora. Which is fine with me since KH was one of my favorite games when it first came out. Ironically, it got me into DMC since they're both hack and slash, but I'm getting off topic.

Thanks for reading!


	2. The Scattered Heart

 

Warnings: Child abuse

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**The Scattered Heart**

The Keep at Radiant Garden stood as a tall proud symbol of the fight against darkness. Radiant Garden had a long history and, out of all the world's out there, it was perhaps the most important.

It was here that survivors of shattered world's gathered and built anew. It was here that Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, had begun his campaign. It was here that the Seven Princesses had been gathered for the first time in recorded memory. It was here that Maleficent had made into a stronghold of evil.

Now, it was a symbol of the light. Here, on Radiant Garden, was were the survivors of Gaia gathered after the Heartless had succeeded where Jenova has not. Here, were Squall Leonhart had arrived after losing everything. Here, were Cloud and Sephiroth occasionally would tear at each other before shooting off across the stars.

Here, where Kairi gripped at her chest, let out a hoarse scream, and fell to her knees.

"Kairi? Kairi, what's wrong! Kairi!" Selphie cried as she helped her friend go to her feet.

"He's gone. He's gone! He- he-" Kairi choked as she gripped at her chest and hot tears fell down her eyes.

Selphie's eyes scrunched up.

"Who's gone, Kairi? What's wrong?"

Kairi's blue eyes locked with Selphie's.

"Sora," she breathed out. Selphie froze. No. No, it couldn't be. Anyone but… It just couldn't- "He's gone," Kairi continued, "Sora, he's gone."

Kairi didn't speak anymore after that, because it was that moment that she burst into uncontrollable sobs.

* * *

Xion hadn't had the best life. She hadn't existed long and, even then, her existence was not one that could be defined as stellar. She had died early on, and, ontop of that, she didn't just die physically but also in the memories of all those that had known her.

Worse, she had died at Roxas' hands. He couldn't remember her properly anymore and she physically couldn't control herself. Not exactly a happy picture.

However, she regretted none of it.

She had loved and been loved in return. She had lived only a few short months but, in that time, she had had a pair of brothers that meant the world to her. Roxas and Axel meant everything to her.

Through them, even a puppet like her found a reason to exist. Xion silently wondered if her sudden surge of emotion had shocked Xemnas. She's gladly die all over again just for a glimpse of shock on that smug self assured face.

She thought that would be the end.

Instead…

"Where am I?"

Except.

Well.

What came out of her mouth were not words. Unfortunately, it was a series of hoots.

"Bloody owls! Up at all hours of the night!"

Yes. Xion, too, had been reborn. When Sora had fallen, those etched into his heart had been scattered along with him except, of course, for the one that had been bound to him from the moment of his birth. Xion, however, had no way of knowning any of this.

Instead, she was stumped at the fact that she'd been transfigured into a snowy white owl. At least her feathers looked nice.

Elsewhere, blue eyes snapped open. Sleepily, they shut again as a small baby turned, curled into his sheets, and slept on.

Roxas may have been reborn but that hardly mattered when he's integrated entirely unlike Sora. Because of that, his mind had become that of his new body- the mind of a newborn.

That also had a second, rather unexpected drawback. While memories engrained in the heart can never be killed, those in the mind can fade. And Roxas? Those memories engrained into his mind were already fading.

By the time Roxas would eventually meet Harry Potter, all that would be left would be scattered remnants of the person he'd once been.

Meanwhile…

In Eastern Europe, from the sky came a raining meteor. To most, there was nothing there at all. Meteorologists were slightly puzzles at how the air waves suddenly shifted but waved it off. In the business of weather prediction, you learn that nature likes to keep you guessing no matter how much knowledge you have.

To the magical population, however, they gazed up at a dazzling multicolored rock that shot through the atmosphere so fast that some blinked and missing it.

A four year old boy who had been gleefully exploring the outdoors due to parents as prolific as Sora's screamed and jumped back as said meteor collided with the ground several feet infront of him.

Cautiously, the child moved forward. Curiosity soon replaced fear as the little boy made his way past the smoke. Then, the sound of light breathing hit his ears.

There, as the smoke cleared, was a teenager dressed in a skin fitting suit of reds and blacks.

"Me? Hey, Mr!" the little boy cried as he gripped the nuclear shoulders and shook.

The boy's eyes fled with terror as a hand wrapped around his throat and slammed him to the ground, glazed and half asleep golden yellow eyes glaring down on him.

Then, the teen gave a hoarse cough, the grip relented, and he fell face first into unconciousness.

* * *

Sora would be the first to admit he didn't have the most concious parents. They had let him spend his entire day on an island alone with other teenagers with no supervision, after all.

Sora couldn't say he was a good son. When Darkness had swallowed his home, he hadn't thought of mom and dad. They hadn't even crossed his mind. All that mattered were Riku and Kairi.

He had been planning on leaving them without warning, afterall.

He'd… He'd put them through a lot. When he'd come back after his second trip, his mother… She'd cried and cried and had refused to let him go. They'd hardly believed Sora when he told them what had happened but had accepted him nonetheless.

That being said, Sora knew what it was like to appreciate the unconditional love of a parent. Despite all that he had done, they loved him nonetheless. Which was why he just couldn't, for the lofe of him, understand his current situation.

"That freak will infect us all! We should just dump him in an orphanage!"

"Vernon, you don't know their kind! That boy is already capable of unnatural mess, imagine the adults!"

Initially, Vernon Dursley had been surprisingly rather taken to little Harry. Despite Petunia's insistence that his parents were freaks, it mattered little to Vernon. The boy was nothing but a babe. What harm could he do?

Then, the first instance of accidental magic had occurred, and, well…

"I will not have that abomination corrupting my child! Is it even human?"

Sora tried to soothe little Harry. It worked somewhat when he had tried linking their emotions but anything else didn't even mildly phase the toddler.

How… Oh god, had he barely just avoided this? Had Sora just lucked out with accepting parents that were probably mourning him even now?

"Let's just lock him in the broom cupboard, away from Dudley! That way, he's still in the house but far away!"

"Not bloody far enough!"

Whatever calm Sora had managed to instill was killed as Vernon manhandled the child, strode to said cupboard, and outright tossed the little boy in before slamming the door.

Sora winced. He had a lot of work ahead of him, he just knew it.


	3. We Need to Talk About Dora

A/N: So, I now at last have the major points of this story mapped out in my head. I’ll include details from Kingdom Hearts Unchained later on, so this is a heads up to those who haven’t played it. Of course, since KH III does not exist, I’ll have to improvise on some points. Expect characters from the Kingdom Hearts verse to pop up. Do not expect them to be massively overpowered compared to the Wizards, or vise versa. Do not expect Harry Potter characters to be tossed out of the way either. I have plans for them too. 

 

Published:

 

Warnings: Small spoiler for Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. And I do mean small. Nothing shattering, I assure you.

* * *

 

##  **Chapter 3**

###  **We Need to Talk About Dora**

 

Harry Potter was the strange little boy that was taken in by Vernon and Petunia Dursley after his parents had died in a most horrific car crash. He was gentle, he was kind, he had a smile that warmed the hearts of everyone around him, and he had a competitive streak about him that led to several friendly rivalries in school. Strangely enough, with all these separate rivalries they all remained friendly because literally no one could stay mad at the kid if they tried. At least, no one but his guardians. Petunia and Vernon Dursley detested the very ground Harry Potter walked on.

That being said, Dudley Dursley was the opposite.

While Harry was treated with scorn, he was shown love. While Harry was blamed for every little thing that could possibly go wrong, the sun literally rose from Dudley’s arse every morning as far as his parents were concerned. While Harry’s accomplishments were belittled, Dudley’s were exemplified a thousand times over. The result of this rather divergent method in parenting?

Dudley was mean. He was cruel. He was vile. He was a devil’s child who got everything he wanted and screamed bloody murder when things didn’t go his way. He was the scourge of the neighborhood.

Except, of course, when he was with Harry.

Harry somehow had the inexplicable ability to calm his cousin’s destructive rage.

Nobody was exactly sure how Harry did it. They didn’t particularly care, either. Harry was perfectly capable of soothing his cousin’s wild temper tantrums, which was a relief to the rest of Privet Drive, since nothing ever seemed to come of their complaints to the authorities of the blatant child abuse they witnessed.

A child, dressed in rags, tending the garden? Who did Petunia think she was fooling? Of course, as soon as they looked away, the typically forgot. Witnessing an event a couple hundred times, however, has this mild tendency of engraving it into the mind so deeply that even Gilderoy Lockhart would struggle to erase it. 

Petunia glared at the child.

How…

Why did her sister’s legacy have to be so… So…

“Finished, Aunt Petunia!” Harry smiled up at her. He smiled. He actually smiled. He always smiled at her. Petunia Dursley nee Evans did not understand. It made literally no sense to her.

She spent her time belittling this child. 

She spent her days trying to break his spirit, his mind, his heart. She hated him with every fiber of her being. He was the symbol of that world. Petunia hated it, with all her heart. What had magic ever done for her? All it had led to were dead family, dead friends, that day she had found the remains of her parent’s house, that time Death Eaters raided Petunia’s old Secondary School.

It hadn’t been pretty. 

It hadn’t been pretty at all.

The Wizards had shown up afterwards, and what had they done? They waved those sticks, manipulated memories, left her friends in a daze. Petunia would never forgive, and she would never forget, how afterwards she had went to her best friend, and hadn’t been recognized. She honestly wasn’t sure who did more damage that day Voldemort’s sycophants or the so called good guys.

Petunia remembered, and she feared.

Yet, this boy…

He smiled at her.

He was everything Petunia had learned to detest. Once upon a time, she had wanted, with all her heart, to be a witch. Petunia wanted to be special. She had once wanted the relationship that she had once had with her sister back. She had wanted all of that. However, once you strip away the surface, the magic, the wonder and awe… The Wizarding World was not kind. Harry Potter was a symbol of that. A magical child whose very existence led to Lily’s death.

Yet…

Yet…

When Harry smiled at Petunia like that…

She couldn’t help but smile back.

 

* * *

 

Sora grinned, hands behind his head, a pleased expression on his face.

Beside him, Ventus rolled his eyes.

“You shouldn’t be so pleased, Sora.” 

“She smiled at him! She actually smiled! You know, I think I’m influencing Harry a bit. Think I can turn him into a mini me?” Sora smirked, blue eyes shining with mirth as he turned towards his companion.

Ventus choked for a second.

Another Sora?

A mini little Sora, with those gigantic shoes and wild hair, running around causing as much chaos as Sora had? Yikes. Sora was a likeable guy, but two of them? Ventus wasn’t particularly sure he’d survive.

Still, there was another more pressing issue. More pressing than Harry, more pressing than Maleficent Junior, as Ventus had silently taken to mentally calling the snake faced man, more pressing than that thing Ventus had sealed away when he and Sora had both woken up here.

Ventus shook his head, before looking up at Sora. He couldn’t help but smile. Sora’s happiness was infectious. Although, Ventus supposed that was the wrong word. Infection sounds bad. Sora didn’t spread bad. He spread happiness. For a moment, Ventus forget he was standing in the presence of the literal chosen one. 

Then, Ventus shook it off. 

Back to serious matters.

The fact that he was now the serious one baffled him. Then again, Aqua had been the serious one before and Terra… Terra had been the wild card, actually. Terra hadn’t fallen the same way Riku had. Riku fell of his own choice. He chose one friend over the other and decided any means necessary. Terra, on the other hand… Ventus wasn’t actually sure what happened to Terra.

In all honesty, he didn’t want to know.

“We have a situation.” Ventus began. Instantly, Sora’s attention snapped to him. Good. Sora was all for a good laugh and a smile, but he’d also saved the Universe. Twice. 

“It’s a bit empty in here, don’t you think?”

Sora blinked and looked around their quaint little island getaway.

“Oh yeah!” Sora nodded, slamming a fist on his hand before locking eyes with Ventus. “Where’s Roxas? Sleeping? Beating up a manakin? Daydreaming about Namine?” Ventus blanched. That was not that he meant! Sora blinked at the expression. “Daydreaming about Axel?”

“What? No! I mean… I don’t know! He’s not here, Sora!” Ventus replied, arms waving around in every direction to prove his point. Roxas wasn’t here. Roxas wasn’t anywhere. 

Sora’s eyes widened.

“Not here? How is he not here? He’s part of me, you know.” Sora revealed, nudging Ventus with his elbow.

Ventus’ eye twitched. 

Had… Had he been like this? No. Impossible. It couldn’t have been. Then again… Sora’s heart had so easily embraced Ven’s. That doesn’t exactly work unless both hearts, both minds, both souls, are similar. Or maybe Sora was just special. Yeah, that was it. Sora was just special.

Then again, Ventus couldn’t even count the ammount of times he’d been teased for zombie like behavior. In his defense, at least he wasn’t as gullible as Terra. Snake face himself could walk up to Terra and spout some sob story about an evil little boy that turned him into a deformed monster and Terra would probably buy it.

Anyways, back to the topic…

“No, Sora. He’s gone. So’s Xion and-”

“Who?”

Ventus faltered. Right. Sora probably didn’t remember her. He’d been pretty out it when in the Sleeping Worlds. Of course, Sora wouldn’t be Sora if he hadn’t stubbornly pushed forward when he realized he could sense Roxas. 

“Nevermind. I’ll explain later. The point in, that thing you kept transforming into? It’s gone.” Ventus stated. Sora looked confused. Ventus sighed and continued. “That shadowy form you had? You know, dark, glowing yellow eyes, kept clawing at everything?”

The confusion melted to realization. Then, concerned.

Ah. Good. At last, Sora understo-

“Anti-me’s gone? No! That poor dude! We gotta find him, Ven!” Sora’s eyes glistened.

Yes. Find. They had to find Vanitas before he did any-

Wait.

Poor dude?

“Sora, that thing is a force of pure evil. It’s not a ‘poor dude’!” Ventus snapped out.

Sora looked like he’d been slapped. Then, he glared. “Dora would never hurt anyone!”

Ventus could have sworn he’d heard that wrong. He had to have. Still, he had to check. With Sora, one never knows. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but… Dora?”

“Dark Sora. Duh. And he would never hurt anyone!” Sora explained with a roll of his eyes.

Ventus froze. Dora. Sora had nicknamed Vanitas, a being of pure darkness, Xehanort’s second in command, one of the deadliest beings in the Universe, someone capable of destroying worlds and spreading monsters wherever he walked… Dora. He couldn’t help it. He laughed. Vanitas was going to be pissed. 

“It’s not funny, Ven! Poor Dora is out there all alone, probably confused!” Sora declared. “You know how Dora gets, attacking anyone he thinks is a threat to me! He’s probably worried sick!” Sora concluded.

Ventus choked.

“Vanitas? Worried sick? About you? More like probably mauling the nearest living creature. We need to find him before he does too much damage!”

“Dora isn’t dangerous, silly.” Sora rolled his eyes. Ventus wanted to strangle him. “Since when has he ever attacked anyone I didn’t want him to attack? Whenever he shows up, okay yeah, it’s weird losing all control, but he only does it when I’m in trouble.” the sincerity in Sora’s voice was, well… Sad really. Vanitas wasn’t like that. “Wait…” Sora spoke slowly. Alarms went off in Ventus’ head. Sora was a lot sharper than he looked, he reminded himself. The brunette narrowed his eyes at Ventus. “You know him!” Sora accused, pointing a finger wildly at Ventus.

Ventus blinked. That’s it? 

“Of course I know him, didn’t Mickey tell you anything?”

“About what?”

“About me, Terra, and Aqua!”

“Something something, he forgot, something.” Sora shrugged.

Ventus felt his eyes sting. Mickey forgot. Then again, ten years had passed so that wasn’t really that shocking. Mickey hadn’t been there at the end. Hell, Ventus hadn’t been there at the end. He didn’t know how the battle at the Graveyard had ended at all. He still didn’t know where Aqua or Terra had gone. 

Sora seemed to have realized his mistake.

“I know Mickey was looking around for years. He never said what for, though.” Sora stated.

Ventus gave him a look.

“Then how’d you know about me?”

“Yensid,” Sora told him, “He gave us a briefing. Mickey wasn’t there and I really didn’t see that much of him, actually.” Sora scratched his head. “So, why do you call Dora Vanitas?”

It was a blatant change in subject, and Ventus knew it. Whatever. He’d take it. So he told Sora. He told Sora everything. He told Sora about the test Aqua and Terra took, he told Sora about Vanitas, he told Sora about Eraqus, he told Sora about traveling the worlds, he told Sora about Xehanort, he told Sora about Mickey, he told Sora everything he could remember.

Sora was silent for several moments.

Then, at last, he spoke. 

It was not what Ventus was expecting.

“Eraqus was a dick!” with that, Sora sauntered off without a second thought leaving a flabbergasted Ventus behind.

* * *

  
  


A/N: Vantias being the Anti-Form is speculation on my part. As for Ventus saying Mickey wasn’t there, remember that by the time Mickey actually did show up, Ventus had already been possessed by Vanitas. 


	4. Hogwart's Letter

A/N: You know, I wrote a tiny segment from Eraqus' point of view, which has actually given me a little sympathy for the guy. Still don't like him much, though.

Also, the Vernon seen almost got cut. Twice. Except… I have no idea what I would have replaced it with. It's just the way the story flowed onto the paper, if you guys get what I'm saying.

_Italics: Sora_

Underline: Ventus

Published: 10/1/2016

Warnings: Child abuse.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Hogwart's Letter**

Harry liked the voices in his head.

Of course, Harry never told any of the adults around him that he could hear a voice inside his head. Harry wasn't stupid. Or at least, the second voice wasn't stupid when it told Harry to shut it when he was about to mention it to his teacher at the school.

Harry now knew the voices by name. The cheerful one was Sora. The one who told him to smack Dudley a couple dozen times was Ventus.

Once upon a time, Harry had lived in the Cupboard under the stairs. Ventus had suggested Harry report it to the authorities, report it to his teachers, report it to someone.

Sora had had a different solution.

"Just smile and make friends! Works for me." Sora had grinned, hands behind his head, while Ventus had facepalmed. Harry remembered that moment. It had been one of the few times he had been pulled into his own head. Apparently, his mindscape was an island. It was beautiful! Harry wanted to go to a beach in real life, but, on the off chance it never happened, he now knew he could always visit the one literally inside his head.

Sadly, however, Sora wasn't allowed to spend all his time inside his head. Both Sora and Ventus had agreed to that in a rare moment of parental unity.

And, that's what they were to Harry. He had two dads living inside his head. The cheerful happy dad who takes you out to ball games and the stern one that cleans, glares, and orders him to do his homework.

Hm. Maybe he should think of them as brothers instead? Or uncles? Actually, no, not that last option. Harry loved Sora and Ventus. A label such as 'uncle' is not something one brands on anyone they love.

Anyways, Sora's plan had surprisingly worked, but not on Vernon and Petunia, as Harry mentally called his aunt and uncle. No, instead, it had worked on Dudley of all people.

Dudley Dursley, unlike his parents, loved his little cousin. Harry was nice to him. Harry actually smiled at him and liked to play with him and encouraged him and helped him. None of the other kids Dudley knew were like that. And, after remembering how he had treated Harry, Dudley had once asked Harry why.

"Why?" Harry had looked genuinely confused, "You're family, aren't you?"

Since that day, well…

Much to his parents chagrin, Dudley had always been on the side of his cousin since then. Of course, this led to a very simple assumption made by two paranoid magic fearing parents that almost led to Dudley, of all people, calling the Bobby's on his own parents, that incident being…

Harry, for the life of him, could not understand why he was being shaken like a rag doll. Had he done something wrong? He'd watered the plants, cleaning the dishes, finished the yard work, cleaned the windows, swept, mopped- all the chores the seven year old normally did.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON, YOU LITTLE FREAK!"

"Stop dad! You're hurting him!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry noticed Dudley ineffectively attacking his father's side. Vernon didn't feel it at all, however, his eyes wide with rage, face red, veins pulsing, spit falling in every direction.

"Vernon! Put down the boy! You'll damage him too much and we will have to pay for medical bills! He's already enough of a burden!"

Meanwhile…

"MEDICAL BILLS?! I'LL KILL HER!"

"Sora, calm down! I'm suppose to be the angry one!"

"THEN YOU CAN HELP ME HIDE THE BODY!"

Back to the present…

"Daddy! Stop! Please!"

"NOT UNTIL THIS FREAK FIXES-"

Vernon was suddenly blasted back as the room was illuminated with blinding light. Harry screamed, falling to the ground, shaking. Harry, trembling, stood. Petunia and Dudley were staring at him with wide eyes.

"I… I… I'm always nice to you. I- don't - why?"

With that gave one last shuddering breath before his body hit the ground.

Petunia paled rapidly. The boy… The boy hadn't shown any signs of his freakishness in so long. But, just now… He had… He had just.

Petunia was shocked when small hands pushed her aside. She was even more shocked when he Duddikins, instead of checking on his father like a good boy, went to the freak, turned him onto his back, and began to shake him.

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

Petunia sprung into action.

"Dudley! Get away from that freak! Didn't you see what he did to you father?"

Dudley, for once in his life, glared up at his mother.

"I saw what he," Dudley shot Vernon a look of pure disgust, "did to him." Dudley looked back down at his cousin. Then, Dudley attained a look of confusion. His eyes met hers. "And you… You just… You just stood there and… And… Why didn't you try… Why mum?"

Petunia flinched back.

She glanced around the room several times over. What would she do? What could she do? That freak apparently had a defense mechanism, Dudley had obviously been enchanted, and her Vernon- her Vernon...

Vernon scared her, actually.

That had been… That… Well, Petunia honestly wasn't sure who she was more scared of, the freak- the boy- no, Harry, or her husband. Yes, the boy had blasted her husband with was unmistakably magic but, at the same time, it had been an act of desperate defense. Petunia had seen it before.

There are many things she had seen before, actually.

Petunia knew that in that moment she had a decision to make. She glanced at her child, to her husband, then back to her child again, who was watching her with wary eyes. He was scared of her, Petunia realized. Instead of being scared of Harry, Dudley was scared of her because Petunia had stood on the sidelines and done nothing.

Had… Had her hatred of Lily done this? Why had she hated Lily so fiercely in the first place, anyways? Petunia had once loved her sister. Yes, the revelation that Lily had magic had caused the pair to distance themselves, but that had been on Lily's part and Petunia… Petunia had felt sad about it. When had sorrow become resentment? When did the broken shards of her heart weld into hatred?

Unknown to Petunia and to anyone else in that room, Harry's magic outburst had actually shattered an enchantment that had been placed on the house, one that had gone far out of control from its original purpose. Dumbledore truly should have asked about Petunia. Really, he should have.

How was he to know that casting a spell designed to get the Dursley's to treat Harry equal to Dudley would result in out of control abuse? He had assumed, of course, that the Muggles would not only be thrilled with a wizard, but that Petunia in particular, who he remembered loving magic, would likely treat Harry with far too much enthusiasm.

He remembered McGonagall's warning and, to be simply but, wanted Harry to be raised as a normal boy.

Years later, Sora would learn of this, tilt his head, before turning to Ventus and asking if it was possible Eraqus got reincarnated way earlier than they had.

In the afterlife, Eraqus twitched. Silently, he wondered if his name was being cursed. It wouldn't surprise him. He had failed his students disastrously. Worse, should Xehanort succeed in any of his plans, well… Eraqus had suspected from the start what the other had been plotting. No, it had been worst. In his heart, Eraqus had known. And Eraqus had done nothing. He only hoped that, maybe, just maybe… One day that they might… Forgive…

Eraqus thought no more.

It's difficult to think when one is drifting in the dark.

* * *

Strangely enough, Harry now had his own bedroom; Dudley had insisted.

Uncle Vernon hadn't been to happy about it but Harry had never gotten along with Uncle Vernon. Luckily, his uncle didn't seem to remember that knock to the head he took, which was completely fine with Harry. And, his dad kept telling him to blast him with a fireball that Harry had learned he was particularly good at summoning. Of course, papa was opposed. Oddly. Ven always did tell him to fight bullies.

Harry still wasn't entirely sure what to call Sora and Ventus. Sometimes, he called them both dad, or papa, or their names, he called them his big brothers. While they were technically a pair of teenagers living in his head, they were a pair of teenagers that literally never aged. It seemed normal to think of them as parents before but now, well… Harry actually wasn't sure how much longer he would be smaller than them.

He was a big boy now! Harry was 11.

And, Harry was now holding his Hogwarts letter.

"What should I write back?"

 _"Hm… Ask them if Merlin is a teacher. In which case, decline 'cause all he does is make you hit furniture."_ Sora spoke in Harry's head.

"You idiot! There's more to magic than that!"

Harry could practically see the glares.

_"Well, that's all he taught me!"_

"... Then clearly, while Merlin is brilliant, he's a crap teacher, or…"

_"Or what?"_

Oh dear. Harry plugged his ears.

"Or someone's a ridiculously slow learner. I mean, I've seen that battle stance of yours. What is that? What is this, Dragon Ball Z?"

_"I DO NOT FIGHT WEIRD!"_

"Dude, you look like an old man about to topple over."

_"I took out Ansem! And Xemnas! And I fought one on one with Sephiroth… Twice!"_

"Psh… HAHAHA! Vanitas-Remnant!"

_"I still say that sentient suit of armor was worse! So I'm better, ha!"_

"You nearly got possessed when you should have listened to Riku!"

_"And leave Roxas behind? I'd rather become a Heartless again! Besides… YOU ACTUALLY GOT POSSESSED, SO HA!"_

"LOW BLOW!"

Harry tuned it out when he could hear the clash of Keyblades. Apparently, his head was a rather boring place and there wasn't exactly much for Sora and Ventus to do other than speak with Harry or… Annoy each other until they started fighting. Again. Hm. At least it didn't give him headaches anymore.

Harry looked the letter over again.

He needed an adult.

An adult that wasn't currently tearing his mindspace to shreds. Harry sighed. It looked like he wouldn't be able to visit his island again for a while.

With that thought in mind, Harry took out a sheet of paper and began to write down a reply to… What was her name again? McGoogle? Normally, Harry would just check but he always got sleepy whenever Sora and Ventus decided to spar and he wasn't exactly sure how much longer that school owl was going to stick around.

Huh. He should totally get one of those, actually. Who wouldn't want an awesome owl?

Xion turned her head. She could have sworn… But no. This was her life now. She had become an owl. It was really difficult to actually retain her individuality and not become a pure animal, actually. However… On the bright side…

Flying was so much fun!

Ha! Stupid owners thinking they could cage up a Keyblade Wielder!

Harry penned out his response before turning to the owl.

"Here," then, not bothering with a response, Harry turned and collapsed on his bed.

Hours later, Professor Minerva McGonagall blinked several times at the letter before her. Then, she groaned loudly, set it down, and shook her head.

"Why… Why dear Godric, why! Merlin knows James Potter never let go of that dreadful nickname! And Sirius Black, curse him, wouldn't stop calling me Minnie Mouse! What even is that?"

McGonagall sighed.

It looked like she would have to visit young Harry and soon before Dumbledore caught wind of it. Knowing the Professor, he'd end up sending Hagrid of all people. Or worse, Snape in an attempt to get some 'bonding' in. Blah. Hopefully, she could sneak this past him.


	5. Faith

A/N: I have returned. I'm a little iffy about this chapter

*awkwardly scratches head* Sorry, people! I thought I had updated this. I did on Fanfiction but forget to do so here too and only noticed because I was about to put chapter 6 up hehe. Apologies? 

Published: 9/18/2017

Warnings: Spoilers for Kh Unchained

* * *

****Chapter 5** **

**Faith**

Number 4, Privet Drive, Surrey.

If there was any place Minerva had never wanted to see again, it was this place. Such twisted muggles, she remembered with a touch of distaste that would have looked more natural on the face of Lucius Malfoy.

She just couldn't help it, not with the memories she had of what kind of people they had left young Harry with. She remembered the day well.

She had told Albus that this was no place for young Harry, and she had been right. She could see that now. Minerva's blood boiled. When she got back to Hogwarts, she was going to give the Headmaster a piece of her mind, oh yes she was!

These muggles were monsters. For, truly, who made a child come out here in the middle of the day and garden away with the sun beating above their heads?

Minerva failed to remember her own workplace was far more a hazard to children than gardening as she stalked gained forth.

And, that was little Harry. Minerva was sure of it. There was not an iota of doubt within her. He looked far too much like his father for her not to recognize him.

Same messy hair, the same scrawny build, similar facial structure. That was where the similarities ended, however. Why? For one simple reason: James Potter wouldn't have been caught dead humming along to a tune Minerva didn't recognize while gardening away.

Meanwhile, within Harry's head…

"Think Marluxia would have known much about gardening?"

Ventus snorted.

"Not the first thing," he disagreed, "Unless it had thorns of poison, Lauriam was never interested."

"Who?"

Ventus froze.

"Er. No one." Ventus unconvincingly declared. Sora eyed him with suspicion. Then, Ventus suddenly pointed. "Ooh! Look! A cat!"

Sora crossed his arms and failed a single eyebrow before tilting his head at an unmistakeable meow.

On the outside world…

Minerva watched as the child turned to her. Harry's face lit with joy and the child moved towards her, before lowering down and extending his arms.

Minerva supposed she could allow it. With a purr, she let the young Harry take her feline form into his arms.

"She's adorable! Do you think Kairi would like her?" Harry asked outloud.

Kairi? Who was this Kairi? And, who was Harry speaking too? Minerva looked around, but there was no one. An imaginary friend, perhaps?

Then, to her shock, Harry tilted his head to a voice only he could apparently hear. "Oh! Riku was the one that liked cats - who knew? And it's fine. There aren't people around anyways."

…

Voices, Minerva concluded. Voices that knew well enough that discretion was a must, something she was momentarily grateful that young Harry did not seem to fully understand yet.

Harry then looked back down at her.

"You just be hungry, huh? I'll sneak something out of the kitchen for you. Aunt Petunia shouldn't mind too much," Harry told her.

From what she remembered, Minerva very much doubted that, so it was time for this charade of hers to come to an end.

Without another thought, Minerva leapt from Harry's arms and transformed from cat into human.

Harry gasped as Minerva rose, tall and proud. She turned and took in Harry's shocked expression.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter. My name is Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

* * *

One minute, the pretty cat had been a pretty cat. The next, the pretty cat had turned into a stern looking woman wearing dark green robes and a pointy hat. Harry wondered where the broom and cauldron were to complete the image.

Then, through years of practice, Harry kept his expression perfectly blank as Papa began to swear.

Harry heard a yelp and a thud.

Daddy didn't seem to approve of the language. Nope, not at all.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter. My name is Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The cat lady spoke.

Harry met her gaze. Then, he smiled. Better to play it off, he decided. "How'd you do that? Can I do that? Are you a witch? Can you turn into other animals? Are you really a cat that stole a wand and mastered magic? Are you from the place Aunt Petunia says is a deathtrap?" Harry began to babble.

In another lifetime, he hadn't been allowed to ask questions. In this life, it had been encouraged by a very enthusiastic Sora.

The cat lady's face pursed as if she was sucking on a particularly sour lemon.

Then, the door to the hose opened behind them.

"Harry, dear, dinner is rea- you!"

In a heartbeat, Harry found himself pulled back as Aunt Petunia wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close.

Harry was shocked by the defensive gesture. He was even more shocked when he glanced up and he saw fear shining in his Aunt Petunia's eyes. Fear. Fear for him.

Harry's eyes stung.

Sure, things had changed over the past year, but Harry had never really been sure if his Aunt actually cared for him. Now, he knew. She did. She really had changed for the better.

"What do you want? If it's the boy, I won't have it!" Aunt Petunia declared, "We swore when we took him in that it would be the end to all that riffraff, thank you very much!"

Harry squirmed, slightly uncomfortable. Who wouldn't be between two angry stern woman glaring daggers at one another?

"Petunia," McGonagall began, a seemingly pleasant tone contradicting the way sparks practically shot from her eyes, "you're making a scene."

Aunt Petunia froze. Then, one quick glance around confirmed that a few neighbors were imitating her favorite hobby. With a huff, Harry found himself pulled towards the house while Aunt Petunia gestured at McGonagall to follow.

The door slammed shut behind them and Aunt Petunia turned to Harry. Hands on his shoulders, she smiled at him. "Go freshen up, Harry. I'll call you down soon. I just have a bit of… Unfinished business to attend to." His Aunt finished with a pointed glare at the professor.

Harry considered it. Looking back and forth between the two woman, he knew his decision was already made.

He hoped Aunt Petunia would forgive him for it. He really did.

Harry took a step back and stood firm. Aunt Petunia looked surprised. Then, Harry spoke. "I want to go, Aunt Petunia."

She looked as if Harry had struck her. Aunt Petunia took a step back, her eyes stinging with tears.

"Aunt Petunia-" Harry reached out.

"That world murdered your mother, Harry." Aunt Petunia's voice trembled.

The Professor had a grunt of surprise. Evidentially, she had not been expecting that.

Harry gripped his Aunt's hand in his own. "I understand, Aunt Petunia. But you also have to understand. The magical work is also my world. It's a part of me, just like the normal world is a part of me." Harry paused, choosing his words carefully, "So… I feel like I should … like I-" Harry unexpectedly choked. He wasn't sure where he was going with it. Not anymore.

Then, for the first time in ever, he felt a wait of wiry arms wrap around him. Harry froze. Aunt Petunia was hugging him.

She had never hugged him.

Until recently, she hadn't even treated him as a human being. Hell, Harry could still literally count on his hands the months it had been since his Aunt had actually started to refer to him by his given name.

So, this was new.

He didn't know how to respond to it. He had been bugged before, yes. But, that had been by daddy and by papa. They had shown him love. They had always shown him love.

But, Aunt Petunia had always shown him scorn. Shown him hate.

So, this…

Harry hugged back.

He hugged back, but with realization, Harry already knew. His Aunt was terrified of losing him to the magical world. Unfortunately, she had no idea that, in all reality, she had already lost him years ago.

* * *

"I told him over and over and over again, but does anyone ever listen to me?" Ventus angrily marched back and forth on the sand.

"Ven," Sora spoke.

The blond, however, wasn't listening.

"Harry doesn't listen, you don't listen, Terra didn't listen, no one ever listens!"

"Ven!" Sora shouted.

"What!" Ventus spun, eyes burning with fire.

"We need to calm down and figure out what we should do about that witch." Sora stated reasonably.

Ventus rolled his eyes.

"That's easy. We Namine her."

Namine her? What did that even… Sora's confusion melted, replaced by revulsion.

"We are not manipulating that old lady's memories!" Sora snapped.

Ventus shrugged.

"It's not as hard as you'd think. Besides, we've both had our minds messed with, and Namine technically drew her powers from you. It stands to reason-"

"I won't do it, Ven!" Sora yelled, taking several steps back. "Namine couldn't control her powers properly. She took my memories easy, but it took her months to undo it and Roxas-" Sora's breath caught, "I can't do that. I don't even know how to do that if I wanted to do it!" Sora exclaimed, finally looking up.

Ventus, at the very least, looked apologetic. That melted as determination took its place.

"There are powers at work here that you don't understand, Sora."

"Ohh and you do?" Sora all but growled.

"Yes," Ventus nodded, crossing his arms, "because I remember the Before now. You have the power, Sora. Do it. For Harry." Ventus knew it was low, but he pushed anyways.

Sora didn't understand it. He couldn't understand it. He hadn't lived as long as Ventus had, after all.

Ventus had seen worlds rise and fall.

He hadn't remembered the Before, but he remembered it now.

He wouldn't let anything happen to Harry that had happened to him and had failed Sora. He had failed him so much. He wouldn't fail again, he wouldn-

Ventus was knocked out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, his eyes were met with Sora's, whose eyes shone with light and good and innocent. After all this time, after being betrayed by his best friend even and being drowned in the dark, Sora still held that same light.

"It's okay, Ven. Everything is going to be okay." Sora told him.

"How do you know that?" Ventus demanded.

Sora smiled.

"Faith. Duh."

Faith. Faith got them nowhere. Faith had left Ventus in a coma with no idea of what had happened to Terra or Aqua. Faith was a destructive force beyond any measure.

Faith was also what lead to Sora saving the universe. Twice. It was faith that gave him the strength to defeat Ansem and to beat the Organization.

It was also faith that had landed Sora dead.

Faith, Ventus supposed, was a give take system.

However, this eyes finally add him cave. Reluctantly, he spoke. "Fine… Let's have faith."

Sora's corresponding smile could have lit the stars.

* * *

A/N: Thoughts? Responses? Suggestions? Criticisms? Feel free to leave a review :)


	6. Alley of Wonders

A/N: This first scene has a switching POV from Minerva to Harry. It felt a little weird writing it like that, but it's the way I felt would best show everything from all angles.

Also, there are a surprisingly tiny amount of Muggleborn students in Harry's class. I stopped searching when I got to six and even then, I could only find two that were confirmed Muggleborns while the others were in a maybe status

_Italics: Sora_

Underline: Ventus

Published: 10/12/2017

Warnings: None for this one either. Pretty calm chapter

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Alley of Wonders

After his Aunt had been suitably calmed. She had excused herself calmly, obviously attempting to maintain at least some semblance of dignity. With one last distasteful look at Professor McGonagall, she left Harry and the teacher alone in the living room as she wandered off to do other tasks.

McGonagall watched her departure with no lack of repulsion.

Apparently, Harry realized, this woman liked his Aunt with just the same amount of tender care as his Aunt felt for her.

Briefly, he wondered if this is what I'd would be like to be in the presence of Cloud Strife and Sephiroth. A loud snort from his mind echoed in Harry's head before he shook the idea off.

He supposed that comparison might be stretching it a little. After all, his Aunt and his future teacher hadn't leveled all of London in testosterone- eh… Estrogen fueled match, after all.

With one last look pensive look, the teacher turned back to Harry.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall began, producing a letter from inside that ridiculous cloak she was wearing, "I see you have some questions, correct?"

Harry smiled up at her. Minerva silently wondered if Harry had a mode other than happy mode. She supposed it could have been worse. It surprised her, really, how cheerful the boy was considering what kind of upbringing he must have had. Then again, considering how Petunia had defended the boy earlier, Minerva wondered if she had been too quick to judge. Perhaps Albus had been right after all. If only she knew...

In another timeline, Dumbledore was forced to obliviate his Deputy Headmistress after she had stormed into his office, letter in hand, screaming about how the Quill had addressed Harry Potter's place of residence as 'The Cupboard Under the Stairs'.

Then, Harry began.

"Do we get brooms? Do we get to fly? Are there fairies that sprinkle pixie dust on us so we can fly without brooms? Do you guys have magic food that makes you all big and then makes you all tiny? Are genies real? Do you guys have a genie? What kinda magic do you guys teach, where am I suppose to get all that cool stuff on the list and- oh, sorry. Am I talking too fast?" Harry's babbling came to an abrupt halt as he shot her an apologetic look. Apparently, he had been chastised in the past, Minerva realized, for asking too many questions at once.

Another Hermione Granger. Dear Merlin, there were two of them. Minerva had actually decided to fit Harry in between her rounds of alerting the Muggleborn students and had just gotten back from the Granger residence when she had come here. Little Hermione had been much the same, although her questions had more been focused on the classes they would attend and how magic was different then reality and how it all worked.

Harry, however, didn't seem to have a problem understanding whether magic was real or not. No, his curiosity was a different sort. Miss Granger had wanted to understand magic. Harry appeared to have no interest in understanding. Instead, he wanted to know all the wonders, twists, and turns that magic provided.

Years of teaching like minded students, however, had given Minerva powerful memory recollection, despite her age.

"There is a flying course at Hogwarts, Mr. Potter. Flight outside of said course is strictly prohibited for the safety of students. The Fae, at times, have visited Hogwarts but to the best of my knowledge, they have never given anyone the ability of flight through the use of… Pixie dust." Minerva repeated. Pixie dust? Where in Merlin was Harry getting these ideas? "There are magical potions that do affect the body, but not to the degree of which you speak of. As for genies, yes Mr. Potter, they are very real and you'd do well to avoid them. They're tricky, fickle creatures at best. As for what we teach at Hogwarts," with a quick wave of her wand, all the furniture in the room began to float.

Harry's eyes lit.

"Wicked." he stated in wonder.

_"I told you! They're gonna make him hit flying furniture with elemental magic!"_

"No biggie. Harry's a better learner than you since he does, after all, have a brain. He'll graduate out of that phase pretty quick."

_"I suppose… Hey!_

Professor McGonagall let the furniture drop.

"There are many magical subjects which Hogwarts offers. The core subjects are Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Potions. We do, of course, also offer many other electives such as Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and several other magical studies." Professor McGonagall explained. Then, to her surprise, Harry frowned. "Is there a problem, Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked up at her.

"Ah no. Actually, maybe." Harry began, scratching the back of his head.

Harry Potter, don't you dare young man.

Harry froze. He had been about to ask if they also taught the combat magics Harry had begun to learn from his two dads at Hogwarts but he had a distinct feeling that if he did Papa would ground him for a month.

"It's nothing, Professor. I was just… Wondering how I'm suppose to pay for it all, actually." Harry amended.

The Professor's face softened. Harry very narrowly resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief. She bought it.

"Not to worry, Mr. Potter. All tuition has already been paid for."

The arguing in the back of Harry's head stopped. Harry suddenly had a mental image of Papa and Daddy scrunched up against a door, their ears pressed against the wood as they eavesdropped.

"By who?"

"Your parents, of course." Professor McGonagall answered, before producing something else out of that seemingly infinitely large cloak of hers.

_Ha! You should have seen the pockets those Fairies made for me! I was literally walking around with hundreds of items in them!_

If you knew how to use the Keyblade powers properly, you'd know that we can store items in a pocket dimension, just like how we can make our Keyblades go away when we don't need them.

_So why don't you teach me, oh wise sensei-sama?_

Ignoring the banther, Harry stared in wonder as his future Professor pressed a picture frame into his hands. Slowly, his fingers traced the faces of the two strangers before him.

He had never seen any pictures of his parents. Aunt Petunia didn't keep any in the house. Harry had once asked why and his Aunt's face had twisted in disgust before she had screeched at him to get back in his cupboard. Obviously, that had happened years ago but Harry wasn't willing to tempt fate now that things had finally turned around for him.

The voices went silent.

These people…

They had loved him...

They had died for him…

Harry loved Sora and he loved Ventus. But, he also loved the two in the picture frame. He didn't even know their names. All he knew was that they were both holding a small bundle in their arms which Harry realized must have been him.

Little tiny baby him.

A single tear collided against the glass, splattering across the visage.

Harry briefly recalled how his Aunt had taken him aside the year before and explained everything to him. Everything, to the best of her ability. Dudley hadn't been there. As far as Dudley knew, his cousin had special powers that made him different but he didn't know the extent of said powers.

He remembered his Aunt's words and he remembered what she had told him of his parents and of him.

For a moment, when Harry looked up, Minerva swore she wasn't looking at a child. Instead, she saw shades of James, shades of Lily, and shades of two others that she didn't recognize. For a moment, Harry Potter looked far older than any child has the right to be.

"Voldemort killed them."

Minerva flinched. She couldn't help it.

"Voldemort killed them, and he tried to kill me… But, he couldn't. He couldn't, and he gave me this, didn't he?" Harry raised a hand to his fringe and pulled back some of the hair, revealing a lightning bolt shaped scar.

Minerva frowned.

"It seems your Aunt has… Taken the liberty to inform you." Minerva stated diplomatically.

Harry nodded.

"She did. She didn't know much about Hogwarts, though." Harry replied. Then, he looked back to the picture, enraptured. "Can… Can I keep this?" he gazed back up at her, eyes hopeful.

Minerva couldn't deny him. With a nod, she allowed it. Harry beamed at her in response, the serious mood all but forgotten.

* * *

Harry's first impression of Diagon Alley was that this place was way cooler than Disney World.

Daddy grumbled in the back of his head, muttering about how Harry wouldn't say such blasphemy if he had actually visited the worlds Disney Land had been built to emulate.

Taking it all in, Harry looked around in wonder. All the shops. All the magic. Closing his eyes, Harry realized he could feel it. He could feel the magic of this place, and it tingled. Giggling slightly, Harry opened his eyes.

And was met with the arched eyebrow of Hermione Granger.

"What was that about?"

"Can't you guys feel the magic in the air?" Harry responded. The other Muggleborn students frowned before imitation Harry. Hermione followed last, slightly skeptical before her eyes to opened in wonder.

"Amazing."

It didn't come from her, though. It came from Justin Finch-Fletchy, one of the other boys on the trip.

Professor McGonagall smiled at them.

"The first time is always marvelous, is it not? Come, this way, all of you." she beckoned them.

Hermione followed directly behind the Professor, holding the older woman's hand. Harry, in turn, held Hermione's while a dark skinned boy named Dean Thomas held his. Professor McGonagall had stressed the point that there being so many of them, they needed to stick together in order to make sure no one was lost.

All in all, she was chaperoning half a dozen of them. Harry himself, Hermione, Justin, Dean, Lily Moon, and Kevin Entwhistle.

None of their parents had been allowed to come. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have come anyways, but some of the other parents had been slightly leery of letting their children go. Still, pleasing faces had succeeded as Professor McGonagall led them through the Wizarding commerce center.

From what Harry understood, it was apparently a long standing tradition that upon a student's first visit to Diagon Alley, they either were accompanied by a teacher or by their magical guardians. Muggles could be granted access, but the amount of paperwork involved made it practically impossible for them to go with first time students. Harry personally thought it was a dumb rule, but he didn't make it. Suddenly, a surge of magic caught his attention.

Harry's head snapped to the right, catching view of an unnaturally dark alleyway. Harry blinked. It was the middle of the day. Why did that road look all dreary and dark? Was there some sort of spell cast on it to make it start drawing away the sunlight or something?

_We should explore that later._

We should not explore that later! Harry could get hurt!

_When Harry is older, I meant. Duh. Get with the times, Venny._

Harry felt more than heard Papa tackle Daddy. Again.

"First stop, Gringotts Bank." Professor Minerva led them to a tall imposing building made out of marble. Harry and the other children starred up. Before Harry had time to read the sign, Professor McGonagall made an abrupt stop before turning to face them all.

"Now, children, this bank is run by… Creatures different than you are accustomed to." The Professor began.

"I know dad says bankers are evil, but is it really okay to call them creatures?" Dean spoke.

Ignoring the laughs, Professor McGonagall looked at him sternly.

"This is no joke, Mr. Thomas. Gringotts is a pristine Wizarding bank and it handles all the monetary affairs of Great Britain," Harry heard Papa mutter about how that was such a stupid idea to do before he focused in on the Professor again, "and it is run by a fierce, honor bound species. The bank is run by Goblins," Professor McGonagall revealed much to the shock of the students, "and they are ferocious beings. I would ask that you all stay calm and respectful during your visit." Minerva concluded.

Harry tilted his head.

"I wonder if they're anything like Moogles?"

"What is a Moggle?" Hermione asked.

"They're these really adorable floaty guys that sell stuff and set up shops everywhere." Harry informed her.

* * *

Minerva frowned slightly as the conversation turned to random mythical creatures Potter began to describe. It seemed the boy did have an overactive imagination.

Still, she would keep an eye on him. That moment with the voices didn't sit well with her. She wondered for a moment if she should inform Albus before thinking better of it. Until she was sure, there was no point in putting Mr. Potter under such scrutiny. She could just imagine the look on Severus' face as he decided to poke and prod and see why the Boy Who Lived happened to speak to people only he could hear.

With those words, she spun and led the children inside. As expected, they quieted down and began to look about the bank, eyes taking it all in.

It was always the same with Muggleborns, year after year after year. Minerva wasn't quite sure she would ever get tired of seeing that initial look of awe on their little faces. It was one of the few things that made being a teacher worth it, despite having to put up with chaotic pranksters every few decades.

Elsewhere, the remaining Marauders gazed up and the Weasley twins, sleeping in, twisted in their beds and sneezed.

Making her way forth, Minerva found a teller. Striding to him, the children following behind, Minerva met the Goblin's gaze head on.

"Name?" the Goblin, whose name Minerva could see was Ripjaw based on the nameplate before him, spoke.

"Minerva McGonagall here, with five of this years Muggle-raised students and Harry Potter."

Minerva watched as the Goblin's eyes darted across the children, before finally landing on Harry. Harry lifted a hand and attempted to futily flatten the hair across his forehead. Then, he smiled at the goblin.

"Hi! I'm Harry! Nice to meet you, Mr… Ripjaw, right?" Harry beamed, extending a hand out, not at all perturbed by the Goblin's appearance as the others in the group seemed to be.

Ripjaw blinked.

"Likewise, Mr. Potter." the Goblin replied before tentatively shaking the hand before him, the look on his face indicating he was slightly surprised by the turn of events but going with it all the same. Then, Ripjaw turned to her.

"Keys?"

Minerva produced the two before setting them down.

"The golden one is for the Potter Vault. The silver one is for the Hogwarts Vault. I trust all is in order?"

Examining both keys, the Goblin nodded before handing them back. Then, ringing a bell, Ripjaw turned away from them.

"Griphook!"

Another Goblin came towards them.

"Take our most honored guests down to the vaults! Hogwart's student fund and Potter vault!"

Griphook nodded before turning to them.

"This way," he spoke. Then, without another word, he spun and departed. Minerva followed behind, students trailing behind her.

Several wild rides later, the found themselves leaving the bank.

"Harry, mate, your parents were loaded!" Mr. Thomas exclaimed.

Harry shrugged.

"I guess."

Minerva frowned. There it was. Any mention of his parents, and Mr. Potter would shrink into himself. A look of longing would glisten in his eyes along with… If Minerva didn't know any better, she'd assume it was guilt, but for what did Mr. Potter have to feel guilty for?

Regardless, she led the students forth, intent on gathering the rest of their school supplies.

* * *

A/N: Thoughts? Responses? Suggestions? Criticisms? Feel free to leave a review :)


	7. Of Drama Queens and Trains

A/N: Hello all :) how are you guys?

Published: 10/23/2017

_Italics: Sora_

Underline: Ventus

Warnings: None that I can think of

* * *

 

**Chapter 7**

Of Drama Queens and Trains

Vanitas sometimes pondered how he had exactly he had ended up in this situation. Well, not exactly pondered. Pondered is the wrong word to describe it. Wonder was more of an apt word for the situation. He had wondered how. How this had happened. How he had done this. When Vanitas got his hands on that little shit, there would be hell to pay.

Vanitas didn't have to wonder about the who.

He didn't have to question it.

He already knew who.

Vanitas knew with every certainty who had done this to him, and, when he found him again, he would break him.

Cracking his knuckles, Vanitas pondered on just how he was going to get his revenge on Ventus this time.

Oh, Vanitas knew Ven was the one behind this entire mess. There could be no other. His Master wouldn't have done this. No, this had Ventus' slimy little manipulative fingers all over it.

Xehanort, while brutal and cruel, valued Vanitas. Valued perhaps only as a pawn to use in his game, but valued nonetheless. Vanitas was a powerful piece on the chessboard, after all. Xehanort wouldn't have just tossed him away like this. Not unless he could gain something from it.

Vanitas had no doubt in his heart that, if it benefitted his Master, his Master would turn on him without a second thought. Ventus, as he had been, had been to weak for their Master's tastes. It was why Vanitas had been born in the first place.

Destroying Ventus had furthered his Master's aims. His Master hadn't hesitated, hadn't faltered at all. Destroying a child's very soul hadn't made him bat an eyelash.

Which was why Vanitas knew that, if his Master believed killing him would further his aims, he would do so without hesitation. His Master was brutal and callus like that.

Vanitas did not mind.

He had, after all, plotted the exact same thing.

Really, the second he had the X-Blade he had intended to kill his Master.

Vanitas really hadn't thought past that point, really.

But, of course, Ventus and Aqua had to ruin it. They just couldn't leave well enough alone, could they? No, they just had to attack Vanitas over and over again, mentally and physically. And then Ven had the gaul of ripping the pair of them to shreds.

Although, a part of Vanitas could actually admire that act. Regardless of what Xehanort believed, Ventus was the farthest possible thing from weak-willed. It takes some serious balls to rip apart your own soul. It was different than from what Master had done to himself. Master had been meticulous. He had been careful. It really was a twisted thing, what his Master had done.

Ventus hadn't used any of that finely tuned finesse.

Instead, what Ventus had done was a brutal act of utter darkness.

There was really no other way to describe it. It had been exquisite. It had been amazing. It had been awe striking. It had been… It stung. It really fucking stung. Ventus might like to pretend, but the reality was simple. He and Ventus were two halves of the same soul. They were literally each other's perfect half.

Dark to each others light. The Yin to each other's Yang.

Ventus had rejected that reality in the most twisted way possible.

Ventus had taken one look into the the abyss, one look at Vanitas, at his own darkness, and he had decided that condemning himself to a fate worse than death was a better alternative to accepting Vanitas.

It stung.

It really did.

And, really, had Vanitas done that much damage?

He had just helped Xehanort tear apart Ventus' friends, attempted to jump start the Apocalypse, psychologically tortured his other half several times, unleashed an army of demons on countless worlds and other miniscule details that really shouldn't have riled up Ventus as much as they had. It hadn't been that bad, had it? Ventus was such a drama queen. Friends this, friends that, blah blah blah blah blah blah.

In a parallel universe, Gintoki Sakata sneezed. Titling his head, he shrugged before rubbing a bugger into Kagura's hair.

The drama queen-esque nature of his other half was why Vanitas was sure Ventus was behind his current predicament. And it angered him. It angered him very, very much.

Vanitas had been very comfortable where he had been, thank you very much. Sora's heart, so open and pure and accepting had been… Well, it had been eye opening, really.

Sora and Xehanort were not so different, Vanitas mused. The only real difference, he realized, was in their allegiance. Sora was of the light. His Master, however, was so drowned in the darkness that it was a wonder he could see two feet in front of him.

Both of them walked the same path, if on opposite bounds.

They wanted to see. They wanted to explore. They looked upon the universe in wonder, and they wanted to learn more, to see more. It fascinated the pair of them. The mysteries and the intricacies that made the fabric of all creation, the secrets that were kept. Both of them wanted to know. Sora's hunger hadn't, however, been as powerful as Xehanort's. Xehanort was willing to sacrifice anything and anyone.

He had, after all, sacrificed his own best friend for greater power.

From what Vanitas understood, that had been part of the soul searing ceremony.

The execution of Eraqus, which Vanitas had helped orchestrate, had been purposely done so his Master could properly split his soul and divide it among his chosen Seekers of Darkness. Cold blooded murder itself was not enough. Anyone can kill. Such a thing, really, was too soft. But, to cause so much suffering, so much anguish, to someone you truly love… To a brother in arms, someone you've known for years… Sacrificing that was how one attained true power.

At least, that's how Xehanort had defended it at the time.

That was the line between Xehanort and Sora.

Xehanort was willing to do anything. He was willing to pay any price. Sora, however, valued his friends, his allies, his family, above anything else, even his own hungers to the wonders of the universe.

Vanitas wanted… He… He actually wanted to go back.

He felt empty, as he was.

When he had been a part of Sora, yes, it had been a prison.

But, really, it was a prison he wouldn't have minded staying in.

Sora had been his home. The first true home Vanitas had ever known.

And, somehow, that little shit Ventus had figured out a way to kick Vanitas out of his own sanctuary. That light worshipping, slippery little son of a mudblood! Vanitas twitched at just the thought of it.

Okay, so he knew he had messed up during Sora's Keyblade Mastery Trial. Attacking Riku had not been one of Vanitas' high moments. However, in his defense, Vanitas had assumed Riku was the bad guy.

Silver hair and darkness clinging to him like an old friend?

Mako green eyes, shimmering with the same rage as that insane katana wielding freak Vanitas had just barely managed to escape from?

If anything, it was like staring at the unholy love child of Sephiroth and Xehanort. As if they'd performed some sort of twisted fusion ha on Vanitas while he wasn't looking. How was he suppose to know that Riku was actually on their side?

…

Okay, so Xion had mentioned Riku was actually a good guy, but really, Vanitas had been bored and it had been so long since he had stretched his muscles against a worthy opponent.

Regardless, Vanitas was getting off track.

He would get his revenge on Ventus. He would. As soon as he found the little shit, Ventus would wish he was never born. Ventus would come to understand that he, Vanitas, was the true better half. He would break Ventus as he should have done so long ago.

This time, there would be no interference.

There would be no Aqua to physically assault him in the real world.

Ventus would have his full undivided attention. Lucky him, right?

However, before Vanitas could do all that…

"No, no, not at all!" yet another wand was snatched from him. Vanitas twitched. Behind him, his comrade snickered. Vanitas shot the other male a glare. Yet another wand was shoved into his hand.

"A strange mix, but you are a unique customer, after all. Yew, unicorn hair, 13 inches, flexible."

Vanitas gave the stick a careless wave.

The snickering continued as half the shop blew up.

You would think Ollivander would be offended at such a notion. However, instead his eyes glistened with a mad sort of joy that Vanitas was briefly reminded of that freak Hojo and had to resist the urge to draw his Keyblade and start slashing.

Last he heard, when Hojo died he actually turned his fall into a two pronged blade. A virus that nearly choked an entire planet to death and a virtual entity that literally went around possessing people. For all he knew, this Ollivander might end up become some sort of sentient wand wood abomination upon his death.

"Fascinating customer! And I had believed Mr. Potter had been difficult after even the Phoenix wand had rejected him, but you seem to be just as tricky! He he, such an interesting week!"

Then, Ollivander hurried into the back to search for more wands.

Joy.

Hundred down, a hundred more to go.

* * *

 

"You'll write to me?"

"'Course, Dudley. You can count on it!"

"And you'll send pictures?"

"Of everything I can catch."

"You sure I can't come?"

"Unfortunately, you need a special kind of magic. You either have it or you don't."

"... Damn."

"Sorry, Dudley-"

"WOULD YOU JUST GET A MOVE ON! YOU ARE CAUSING A SCENE!"

Harry neglected to mention that the only one causing a scene was Uncle Vernon as several people passing by turned to stare at the grown man thundering at a pair of children.

_He reminds me of your hatred of waffles._

I do not hate waffles! Who told you I hate waffles?

Then, a hand landed upon Uncle Vernon's shoulder. Eye twitching, Harry's Uncle turned red before spinning. Then, Harry had the satisfaction of watching him pale rapidly. Standing before him was a tall, muscular black man who was frowning heavily at Uncle Vernon.

"The only one causing a scene here is you, sir. I would like to kindly ask you to leave those two children-"

"Harry! Isn't it wicked! Got all your things?"

Dean Thomas came barreling out of nowhere. Then, it clicked in Harry's head. Ah. So this was Dean's Stepdad. The man had actually come to see Dean off to Hogwarts. A third party parental figure that supported magic. Huh. That must be nice.

Harry shoved down the jealousy.

Aunt Petunia hadn't come to see him off. However accepting she'd become of Harry, she still wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Magical World. Dudley was fascinated by it but Harry was sure by the time he got back his cousin's awe would be broken out him by very zealous parents.

Uncle Vernon took a step back.

"Now, you see here, you-" he began.

"Officer Thomas." Dean's dad supplied.

"Officer Thomas, I- Officer?"

Uncle Vernon paled even more. Dean's stepfather nodded before waving a rather official looking badge

"Yes. Officer. I would kindly ask you to calm down, if you would."

Uncle Vernon twitched. Then, he spun. "Dudley, say goodbye to your… Cousin. We're going." Uncle Vernon bit out the word cousin with such a twisted face it looked like he was in physical pain. He probably was. Uncle Vernon never liked admitting he was related to Harry.

Dudley shot Harry a look. Harry shrugged and nodded. Dudley gave him a tentative smile, patted him on the back, then left without another word.

Harry then turned to Dean's dad.

"Thank you, Mr. Thomas."

"Not a problem… Harry, was it?"

Harry just nodded. Then, Dean came barreling into him.

"Can you believe it? Can you, can you? We're finally going! If the alley was exciting, I just can't wait to see the school!"

_If Merlin's a teacher…_

Would you quit it with that?

_These people have Merlin on their little celebrity trading card game thingy! We should find Harry a better school._

I'm sure it will be fine. You're being paranoid, Sora, which is weird. That's my job. How bad could the school possibly be?

At Hogwarts, Snape, Quirrel, Binns, and Trelawney all were suddenly undertaken by a violent fit of sneezing that refused to go away for several minutes.

Ignoring the bickering, Harry nodded, smile lighting his face.

"I know! I wonder what adventures are waiting for us!"

Quirrell froze as his Master gave a sneeze. Then, nervously, he began to cough loudly as some of the other teachers shot him perplexed him. In the middle of a teacher's meeting? Could the Dark Lord not have better timing with his sinuses?

A hand landed on Dean's shoulder. Turning, he looked up to a beautiful dark skinned woman who crouched down slightly.

"Write?" she asked.

Dean batted her hand away.

"Mum, you're embarrassing me!"

Then, Harry felt himself pulled by a blushing Dean.

"Come on Harry, let's go! Hogwarts awaits!"

And, through the barrier they went, towards a new world

* * *

 

A/N: Thoughts? Responses? Suggestions? Criticisms? Feel free to leave a review :)

 


	8. Interlude: Twilight

A/N: This chapter is kind of bittersweet. Instead of focusing on Harry, it's focusing on other characters in the background that will play a part later on. It's kinda angsty if I'm being honest. Then again, so is Kingdom Hearts. All bubbly and colorful hiding a drama rollercoaster of doom.

I'm thinking of making a one shot for Riku's exploits. Yay or nay?

Published: 11/27/2017

Warnings: Kingdom Hearts Spoilers

* * *

** Chapter 8 **

**Interlude: Twilight**

A crimson blade, twisted and vile with lines of blue ripping across the surface like veins, stabbed itself into the ground. The teen gave deep grunting pants, ignoring the raging storm around him.

Rain.

So much rain.

He liked to come to this world. He liked to come here, of all places, to fight and to train. This place made his blood pump, gave him a challenge, made him fight for his existence. For his survival. One wrong move, and he would be broken.

Dead and gone, just like Sora.

Riku choked back on the pain that flared in his heart as he leapt back from an explosion, blasting away at the area from where he had been standing. Lifting way to Dawn in his hands, Riku pointed the point of the blade against his assailant.

This… This wasn't just training. No. Training is where you work on bettering yourself. It's where you gain experience in order to move forward. It's where you stride forth to bend the world to you.

To do so, you challenge those around your level, either slightly lower or slightly higher. A group of lower level enemies also suffices.

The opponent Riku had chosen was not below his level. He was not near Riku's level. He was so outrageously above his level that Riku's actions could be considered paramount to suicide. Oh well. At least he'd see So-

No!

Sora wouldn't want this!

Sora would never have wanted any of this.

Sora, smiling and happy and kind and good and-

Gone.

Gone, because Riku had been too weak. Gone, taken from them. Ripped away before his time. Too soon. It was always too soon, and Sora was gone and Riku would never see him again. His best friend was gone, and-

"You must truly have a death wish, child. The Six Paths of Pein… In attendance."

Riku hissed as he fell into a familiar stance. Before him, at long last, stood all six. He'd baited them, over and over, on all his visits. This was the first time that all six ha scone to confront the annoyance of Ame, however, especially after his last little prank on them.

This world was so dark. At the same time, there was a certain light here, glimmering in the shadows, shining in the darkness. It was such a twisted world, lying between the plains of Light and Dark that it was one of Riku's favorite words to visit. The people here, like Riku, walked in the twilight.

Of course, such a path was dangerous and not everyone was cut out for such a life. Those That weren't tended to break, twist into abominations. That didn't make the world any less interesting. He'd learned to much about himself, exploring the Elemental Nations. Such interesting culture.

That, and he'd grown a perhaps insane habit of trolling the shit out of Nagato Uzumaki out of boredom. How was he to know that statue thing was important and that he should unseal what was inside? No being deserved to be trapped inside a creepy wooden statue, no matter if they radiated such darkness that it put Heartless to shame.

Whatever.

With a roar, Riku charged haphazardly at his enemy. If worse came to worse, Donald and Goofy could beam him up like last time.

Not that it mattered if they didn't.

At the very least, he'd see Sora again.

* * *

Ventus crossed his arms, a look of distaste marring the teens features. This had not been what he expected when he imprisoned the shard. Not at all.

Sora, the idiot, had no idea. He didn't question a damn thing Ventus did unless he was blunt about it. Sora was like that. So good. So trusting. So naive.

Ventus had once held the same nativity. Of the three of them, he had been the most kind hearted, the most trusting. Even Terra, for all his ability to be fooled by people literally radiating the dark, Ventus had been the most trusting out of all of them.

He'd believed every word out of Vanitas' twisted mouth, never bothering to question why an enemy was so blatant with him, so honest. Never bothered to question why the apprentice of Xehanort, a master manipulator, would be so brutally honest.

Ventus sneered.

Although…

A part of him wondered if Vanitas had been changed by their fusion as well. Ventus had regained a part of himself that he had lost long ago. That dark whisper in the back of one's head. Anger, pain, passion. He could feel those raging emotions again in a way he hadn't in so long.

Xehanort had ripped them from him. He had ripped his anger and his hatred and his agony, had torn his passion right out of him, righteous and wild, and from it created Vanitas. Ventus could feel it all again, so, for a moment, he wondered if Vanitas was the same.

Love, happiness, friendship. Kindness. Empathy. Could Vanitas feel those emotions again? Could Vanitas truly have a chance to change, to become better?

Normally, Ventus would scoff at the motion. It was an insane concept. Asinine. Illogical. No possible way.

Yet, here before him lay definite proof.

"What's your name?"

"... Tom. My name… My name is Tom…"

The small child quivered before him. Tiny, covered in what could only be described as rags, the child stared at Ventus listlessly true obsidian eyes. Around them were constructs created no doubt from the child's memories. A twisted orphanage with such an oppressive air about it that it made Ventus want to gag.

This… This is what Voldemort had sealed within them. No doubt, his spell had gone askew from its original purpose. Ventus seriously doubted this had been part of the plan.

Voldemort. A monster just as twisted as Xehanort. Splitting himself apart at the seams, not understanding the magic he was invoking, the powers. The heart was not something one messed with lightly. Voldemort, Ventus realized, was a very broken being.

Still, though. There were more pressing matters right now than the currently neutralized threat against his son. Ventus knelt, eye level with the soul shard.

Memories of a twisted childhood which would lead to a twisted life.

"My name is Ventus. It's nice to meet you."

* * *

Aqua had no idea how long she had been wandering. It never seemed to end. Twists and turns, a maze of messes and contradictions. Remains of worlds, destroyed and devoured by the darkness. Consumed by evil to be never seen again.

And, she was trapped here.

Trapped… Just like Terra was. Aqua hadn't seen him again. Not since that first time. Terra had avoided her since then. Avoided her draw, really.

That she had drawn his heart to hers had been an outstanding feet. That act alone would have been sufficient for a Mark of Mastery.

In her sorrow, she had called out. And Terra, lost in whatever darkness had encased him, Terra had answered her call. She had summoned him, if only his spirit, here to this land of shadows.

Unfortunately, she'd also summoned Terra's twisted companion, which was why she hadn't tried again. Terra would no doubt fight the pull, because while he had managed to suppress Xehanort partially, the other was very much still a menace.

"Idiot… We fight problems together. We're a team! When… When did we lose sight of that?"

That was a stupid question. Aqua already knew the answer. The moment they had drifted apart was the moment the subtle wedges Xehanort had lodged into their bonds had torn them asunder. Xehanort had been crafty with his actions.

He'd fooled them all. He had fooled Aqua, he had fooled Terra, he had fooled Ventus. He had fooled Master Eraqus.

Master Eraqus, who Terra had helped strike down. Why, Aqua had never learned. Although, from the way Terra's eyes had darted at Ven, from the way Vanitas had possessed Ventus with such ease and summoned a blade thought lost to time, Aqua could guess.

Xehanort hadn't just twisted them against each other. No, he'd tricked their Master to strike at Ventus' throat, and Terra had responded in kind. Aqua wasn't sure if the details or if she was even right, but she was willing to bet she was.

After all, in this place, all she had were thoughts to keep her company in the never ending abyss. When she got out of here, the first thing she was going to do was break Xehanort's face. Repeatably. Then, take a bath and stay in it for a week.

She would kill for a good bath that didn't involve watching her back for Heartless piranha trying to devour her.

This place, however, might never let her go. Even when Destiny Island had been restored from the darkness, Aqua had not returned with it. She wasn't sure she could leave. Not really.

Whatever Terra-Xehanort had done, it had bound her here. Frankly, Aqua was glad it was her and not Terra. Even now, despite living through literal hell, Aqua didn't regret her decision. She could survive. She could like. She could make it through this.

Terra, with Xehanort in his head, would not. With all this twisting darkness, he would have succumbed and drowned in his own anger and hate. As much as Aqua loved Terra, there was no denying that.

Then, a rusting in the bushes had Aqua summoning her Keyblade, her Master's Keyblade, and spun around to ram it into no doubt another Heartless. Instead, what stepped out of the shadows was not a creature of the dark aiming to kill her, but a woman.

A woman covered in torn clothing. Jeans, a shirt, a stick clutched tightly in her hands. Red hair falling in messy tendrils that hadn't been washed in probably weeks, a stick clutched in her hands.

Green eyes latched to hers and the woman froze.

"You… You aren't like those monsters. You're human. You're human! Another human!"

Then, before Aqua knew what was happening, she was being glomped by an over enthusiastic stranger babbling about how she finally wasn't alone and maybe there'd be a way out of this hell back to her son after all.

And that was how Aqua met Lily Potter.

* * *

** Omake **

**.**

**.**

**.**

Ventus couldn't believe what he was seeing. It had to be a lie. It had to be a trick. But no. This wasn't a trick. This wasn't a lie, he realized with growing horror.

This was reality.

"Why… Why, Master Ava? Why did you start the Keyblade War?"

He hadn't believed it at first, but the evidence had mounted. It had been undeniable. No doubt about it. It had begun with her. With his Master. She had started this. She had started it all.

Master Ava had raised her Keyblade, given in to the Dark, and had attempted to murder another Master. She had struck the first blow. She had begun the Keyblade War.

"Simple, Ventus," glowing red eyes with spinning tomoe met his own. "I did it to test my abilities." Master Ava revealed.

Ventus awoke with a scream. Beside him, Terra rolled over, smacked him in his sleep, then twisted away. On his other side, Aqua was none the wiser, snoring away rather loudly.

Ventus groaned. What a weird dream. Great. Just great. How was he going to get to sleep now?

Meh. He supposed he could just stare at the stars. He couldn't believe they'd all fallen asleep star gazing, but whatever. At least they were pretty.

Still, what had that weird dream been about?


	9. Of New Faces and Glowing Eyes

A/N: Riku now has a one shot which crosses over into the Naruto universe based off this story titled Twilight's Lament where he deals with the fallout of Sora's death. It's kinda angsty, but he does get kinda better at the end of it

Hagrid's height is taken straight from the Harry Potter wiki, which states he is 11 and a half feet tall

Also, to Matt, Riku didn't unleash the Ten Tails. It wasn't complete yet. He did, however, free the Tailed Beasts the Akatsuki had managed to round up at the time

So, question. What House should I put everyone in? (Harry + added characters?)

Published: 12/2/2017(I am totally on a roll. I've published a chapter a day for a week :p)

Warnings: None for this chapter

_Italics: Sora_

Underline: Ventus

* * *

** Chapter 9 **

**Of New Faces and Glowing Eyes**

Finding a place to sit had been rather easy. It was a perk of showing up early. The entire train was for their picking, really. Of course, it did also mean that they'd have to wait longer for before it even departed, which was sort of a drag but Harry didn't particularly mind. Not if he could share a compartment with his first true friends.

Sure, he had gotten along with some of the kids back in Little Whining, but his life there would always be shadowed by the dark imposing will of his relatives.

Sitting across Dean, in comparison, was a godsend.

"What House do you think we'll be sorted in?"

Harry just shrugged.

"Does it matter? It's not like we'll stop being friends, right?"

Dean was taken aback for a moment before the dark skinned boy nodded with a smile.

From what Harry understood, the Houses were divided between the cunning, the brave, the loyal, and the intelligent. At least, that's how McGonagall had described it, making sure to exemplify the positive traits of each House.

Harry had caught onto her distaste for Slytherin but he wasn't sure if any of the other Muggleborns had as well. Just then, the compartment door snapped open as Hermione Granger came barreling in. Eyes locking into Harry, Hermione gave a thrilled squeak as she moved to sit next to him.

"We're finally going! Can you believe it! We're going to learn real magic! Spells and charms and all sorts of things! Maybe we'll even get to transfigure things like Professor McGonagall!"

Dean didn't bother to hide a groan. Great. Those two could gable for hours on end. It was like watching a pair of uncoordinated twins when he thought about it.

Unfortunately, his prediction was far too accurate as Harry and Hermione began to babble away a mile minute. Dear Merlin, if those two didn't end up sorted into Ravenclaw Dean would eat his bloody hat.

"Can you believe McGonagall has never heard of pixie dust?" Harry sounded offended.

Dean blinked.

Pixie… Dust?

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Harry. This is the real world, not Disney world."

Disney? Had Dean missed something? He must have missed something.

"All legends have an origin point." Harry countered. "For all we know, the great Disney was a seer who could see across time and space to other dimensions."

"Even if he could, Harry, he didn't create all those stories by himself!"

"Then he gathered those who could see across dimensional barriers! I'm telling you, Hermione," Harry parroted and Dean slid away from his friend as Hermione twitched. "Pixie dust is-"

Just then, the compartment door rapidly slammed open. Two small figures darted into the compartment, one in blue and white robes and another in pink and yellow overalls. The blue one slammed the rapidly behind him while the girl raised her hands and muttered what must have been some sort of spell, because a shimmering white glow sunk into the metal.

Harry nearly fell over.

… That's magic from our world!

_Cool!_

Not cool! How do they have magic from our world!

_Chill, Venny. Besides, you're saying it wrong._

Huh?

_World's, Ven. I'm surprised more people here don't use our kind of magic when you think about how common it is everywhere else. I know a Skeleton and a Mermaid that can cast spells just like us just off the top of my head._

Papa fell silent inside Harry's head. For once, Harry realized, dad had left him literally speechless with random words of insight and wisdom.

"Think we lost him?" the boy spoke, shooting a look at the girl. Was it just Harry, or did the child have glowing yellow eyes?

"Think so." the girl shot a look right back and Harry did a double take. Was that a horn growing out of her head?

Those… Two…

_Huh? Ven? Hey, what's wrong? Ven?_

Harry's eyes widened in alarm as he felt Papa erect mental blocks. Which was really odd from the preservative of the person who's mind the mental blocks were being erected in.

"Who are you two?" Hermione broke the silence first.

The two kids jumped before turning towards them. The dark skinned one with the glowing eyes that briefly reminded Harry of death and despair and those that bring worlds to their knees before the boy eeped loudly, destroying the image. He backed away rapidly, hiding behind the girl in a crouch, trying to make his already small form look even smaller.

"We're sorry! We didn't know there were people in here! So sorry!"

The girl shot him a glare over her shoulder.

"Vivi! Stop being so melodramatic! These people seem nicer than the other boy!" then, with those words, the blue haired girl turned to them, a smile lighting her face. "Hi. My name is Eiko. Eiko Carol."

With that, the girl extended her hand forth, her friendly nature exuding from her in waves.

* * *

"Tch. Annoying brats. Got away." Vanitas hissed, fist clenching in annoyance.

"... Did you really have to attack those two midgets?"

"You have no idea how annoying the pair of them are. Besides, I wasn't going to damage them… Much."

* * *

"Hey, what was that about! Ventus! Hey!"

How Ventus could manage to flee within the limited space of Harry's mental space was beyond Sora. Then again, Harry's mindscape did extend rather far when he thought about it. Mindscapes, after all, were made not just of the person's active thoughts but also the subconscious. At the same time, they were made of memories in the soul.

In a few years, it would be just as confusing as Castle Oblivion. According to Ventus, it was the same basic concept and what Castle Oblivion had actually been based off of in the first place.

Ventus wasn't stopping. Sora realized that he didn't recognize this place. A strange town sprawled around them, although the word 'town' might be bit too small. That clock tower over there reminded him of the one in London.

Wait, sightseeing while chasing a friend was bad. You have to concentrate on the friend, especially when it's Ventus.

"Ven, wait!"

Ventus dashed past a fountain, rushing his way up stone steps past blue and purple houses. Sora resisted the urge to curse. His friend was really fast. Sora was no slouch himself, but Ventus could move.

Where Sora was more of a power house, Ventus was the speedster that struck and vanished before you even knew what was happening. As such, he was very, very good at the art of running away.

This wasn't working. Time to pull out the big guns.

Ventus came to stop as Sora, clothing a glowing blue as sparks fell from his form, appeared before him before he could continue. Before Ventus had the chance to dodge out of the way, a binding spell struck him, leaving him stuck in place. Ventus almost fell over as his momentum was put to a grinding halt.

Ventus grit his teeth. Eyes fixed on the ground, Ventus refused to look up.

"Damnit, Sora! Leave me alone!"

"I'm you're friend. What makes you think I could do that?"

"Because I want to be left alone! People need space, something you clearly don't understand!"

The silence echoed around them for several tense seconds. To Ventus, they felt longer. Each one dragging along felt eternal, punctuated by the occasional tick tock of Daybreak Town's clock tower.

"... fine." Sora finally relented, to Ventus' shock. "You know, you can trust me with anything, right Ven?"

Ventus, still refusing to look at the other, just nodded. Sora disappeared without another word, his body fading, his mental form retreating to another part of Harry's soul.

Then, Ventus gave a bitter laugh.

"You have no idea… Sora. No idea at all."

* * *

"What's that horn on your head?" Harry was never one for tact. If he was curious about something, he wanted to know, plain and simple.

Dean and Hermione eyed Harry oddly. The two newcomers eyes Harry in unmasked shock. Eiko recovered first, her face falling into such an easy mask that Harry was reminded of Papa.

"I have no idea what you mean, Harrykins." She smiled sweetly at him. Harry leaned back. That smile promised retribution of the most brutal form if he continued his line of speech.

"So… What did you do to the door?" Harry amended.

Eiko preened.

"I cast a small charm I've been practicing! I wonder if it will work?"

On the other side of the door, Ronald Weasley attempted to open the compartment door only to realize the damn thing wouldn't budge at all. Not even the tell tale jingle of something locked. Frowning, the redhead made his way further down the train, since there was no way in hell he was going to sit with Fred and George and that tarantula of theirs.

Minutes later, Draco Malfoy glared at the same door, stomping his foot before wandering off, muttering about falling standards and what not.

"You've been practicing magic outside of school?" Hermione looked absolutely delighted. "So have I! I thought I'd get a little practice before entering, you know, like all the other students from Magical Families! What spells can you do!"

Eiko smiled.

"Just a few protection spells. I found I'm rather good at light magic."

Just like that, the two girls fell into a back and forth about magics they had practiced outside of school. Little did they know that once they passed by the Black Lake, as was tradition for First Years, the Trace would be cast on them making such a thing illegal.

Dean turned to Vivi.

"What about you, mate? You excited?"

Vivi Orienta was a quiet one. He looked kind of like a Heartless, Harry realized, but didn't have any of the twisted aura his parents had described. His appearance alone, however, was what had shocked him earlier.

Harry himself might have never seen a Heartless, but he carried the souls of two people that very much had, and memories of the Heart have a habit of leaking in said situations. Which was why, despite never having come across one, Vivi's appearance had initially brought about emotions one would associate with them.

"I… Maybe. But, I'm not very good." Vivi confided in them.

Eiko chortled.

"Vivi's being modest! This kid is gonna be the best duelist ever born, mark my words!"

Vivi didn't look like he'd become the best duelist ever born. In fact, he looked more like he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide away from the world.

And was Harry the only one who could see neither of these two were human? Was he really the only one who could see? Seriously, why did no one else see?

Years earlier, Sora pondered why no one bothered questioning how Donald or Goofy could speak, no matter what world or place they visited before shrugging it off and assuming it was some weird quirk of the universe.

"Right…" Dean trailed off. "Anyways, what sports do yah like! I'm a fan of football myself!"

* * *

"First Years! 'Tis way, First Years!"

Harry could only gaze at Rubeus Hagrid in wonder. Standing nearly a dozen feet tall, Harry realized rather quickly that Hogwarts was home to more magical creatures than he had first anticipated. Maybe Eiko's horn and Vivi's literally light sucking skin and glowing amber eyes would be normal at Hogwarts?

After all, there was no way Hagrid wasn't at least part Giant. No way at all.

Unknown to Harry, everyone else just assumed Hagrid had been hit with one too many engorgement charms when he was little. While such a reality would have likely killed Hagrid had it been true, it was better than assuming the alternative where Dumbledore allowed a half-giant into the school.

Wizards were never much known for their logic.

Before long, they were before McGonagall again. The stern woman silenced an entire crowd of First Years with naught but a glare. Harry shivered slightly. Scary woman.

"Past these doors, you shall all be sorted into one of the four noble Houses of Hogwarts. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. While you are here, the House you will be sorted in shall be… It shall be like your family. Do well to remember that."

Then, she strode forth and left them all alone.

Harry blinked. Like a family, huh? He had mixed feelings about the word. Dad and Papa were family, and he loved them. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were also family, and he had no idea how he felt about them.

Family. What a weird word.

"What do you think they'll make us do?

"I heard we have to fight a troll!"

"I heard they inject us with this glowy liquid and if we aren't compatible, we're kicked out!"

Elsewhere, Cloud Strife sneezed.

"What! That can't possibly be it! Don't be daf- Ahhhh!"

Harry blinked. Ghosts had descended from the ceiling, rambling about cute little First Years and how they seemed to get smaller each and every year.

Then, at long last, the doors opened as they were ushered in, at long last, for their sorting.


	10. The Sorting Hat Makes a Mortal Enemy

A/N: So, did any of you know that Vanitas is also the name of an art form? A rather morbid art form, mind you. I discovered this when pondering a last name for Vanitas. I did go through several before settling on one. Some of you may recognize it. It's from a Latin phrase, which I think works well with someone like Vanitas, since his name is derived from Latin. I almost went for his Japanese Voice Actors last name before switching it.

Also, Merry Christmas everyone! Or whatever holiday you practice. Personally, my family celebrates Hanukkah, which already ended this year on the 20th

Published: 12/22/2017

Warnings: None for this chapter

_Italics: Sora_

**_Sorting Hat mental_ **

**"Sorting Hat talking out loud"**

* * *

** Chapter 10 **

**The Sorting Hat Makes a Mortal Enemy**

The Great Hall was utterly amazing. Harry couldn't help but gape in wonder as he looked around. Sure, the outside of the school had been pretty cool, because, learning in a castle? A medieval castle? How cool was that?!

Harry decidedly ignored the fact that neither of his parents were very fond of castles at all for various reasons. Castles were cool.

Inside of the castle was even cooler, though.

He wondered if any of the others saw it the same way he did. He doubted they did. All the colors and magic swirling in the air, a ceiling that matched the skies above, floating candles and oh so many pretty colors. Clouds of all shapes and colors, with stars etched into them, twirled above in a pretty collage of what Harry could only describe as magic.

Around them, the rest of the students, the older ones, chattered about constantly. Up at the head table, what Harry could only assume were the teachers sat respectfully. Well, almost all of them.

For some reason, the greasy haired one shot Harry a look that could only be described as pure malice, and Harry had to bite back a groan. Great. Just great. He thought he'd been done with random prejudice bullshit against him once he had the Dursley's out of his hair, but no, life couldn't be that simple, could it? Sure, the Dursley's weren't here to poison public opinion against him, but apparently one of the teachers was.

Then again, Harry was perfectly capable of turning said public opinion right back around. His rather charming personality did have its perks, even if he did tend to babble a mile a minute.

Professor McGonagall strode to the front of the hall. Then, she spun towards them all as she stood before a ratty old hat that looked like it had survived the Dark Ages. Unknown to Harry, the hat literally had. McGonagall unveiled a scroll from seemingly thin air, and the Hall fell silent.

"When I call your name, please come up and be sorted." McGonagall announced. Sorted? How were they going to be sorted? "You will walk up when I call your name, I will place this lovely hat on your lovely heads, and our dear friend will announce your House." McGonagall somehow managed to say this with a straight face, motioning to said dusty hat that looked like it was on the verge of literally falling apart at the seams.

Then, the bloody thing opened its mouth and began to sing of all things that Harry nearly fell over.

"Oh wow! That's amazing! I wonder if Donald can make charms like that?" Harry heard Eiko state excitedly Vivi. Donald? Who was Donald, and why did Harry feel like he should know that name?

Beside her, Vivi began to press his fingers together. A nervous tick, maybe?

"I- I'm sure he can. He- he's pretty good with magic, right?"

The kid looked like he wanted to cast an invisibility spell on himself. Harry would help out, but, unfortunately, he hadn't quite managed to master the Invisibility Charm Papa had been trying to teach him. For some reason, Papa had been muttering and cursing and psychotic dual wielding Jedi brats when doing so, but Harry wasn't really sure what that meant.

(Several years earlier, Ventus only managed to escape by the skin of his teeth as the Unknown Figure tried to chop him to bits with a pair of glowing blue ethereal blades)

Then, the hat stopped singing and McGonagall lifted her scroll, rolling it out as she began to read.

"Abbott, Hannah!"

A blonde girl Harry wasn't really familiar with dashed forth in her haste to get to the hat. Harry blinked as the hat was set on top of her before, seconds later, the brim opened.

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

Harry blinked again.

What… What an utterly convoluted way to sort students. It was so weird. So random. So odd. Harry loved it! Bouncing on the soles of his feet, Harry couldn't wait for it to be his turn. How did the hat decide? Was it just random? Did it talk to the people wearing it, since Harry already knew perfectly well it was capable of speech? How did it sort people into all these houses and-

"Carroll, Eiko!"

The demon child from the train, the one who had given Harry a look that promised death and agony if he revealed more about her to the others, happily skipped towards the hat. No one batted an eyelash at the horn protruding from her forehead and, Harry suspected, no one other than him could even see it. Why he could while they couldn't was beyond him, but meh. If the girl wanted to keep it hidden, that was her business.

No sooner had the hat been placed on her small delicate head that it began to screech.  **"Slytherin! Slytherin! Please, get me off her! Dear Merlin! I haven't come across a child more suited for that house since Salazar's own son was sorted! Mercy on you all!"**

With a beaming grin, the girl handed the Sorting Hat back to stunned McGonagall, ignoring the flabbergasted stares as she skipped her way to the Slytherin table. Harry was pretty sure he wasn't the only one who shuddered as she turned, smiling sweetly at them all.

It took McGonagall several moments to regain her composure. With a discreet cough, she began to list off names once more.

Fay Dunbar went off to Gryffindor. So did Seamus Finnigan. Kevin, one of the other Muggleborns Harry had met, however, wandered off to Ravenclaw, along with Michael Corner and Stephen Cornfoot. Poor Vincent Crabbe had to march towards Slytherin in the wake of Eiko's advent.

"Granger, Hermione!" announced Mcgonagall.

Hermione turned to Harry.

"Wish me luck?

Harry grinned.

"Was there any doubt?"

Hermione beamed at him before running off, almost tripping in her excitement. A few people laughed, to which Harry shot sharp glares. Hermione shoved the hat eagerly on her head, sitting there for what felt like an eternity before, at long last, the brim opened.

**"Gryffindor!"**

Harry blinked. Dean blinked. Ron Weasley groaned.

Hermione ran off, excitement pulsing from every pore of her being as she made her way to the Gryffindor table.

"Huh… I totally didn't expect that." Dean admitted.

"Ditto." Harry nodded. He had pegged his bushy haired friend as a Ravenclaw, but, apparently, the Sorting Hat disagreed.

"Greengrass, Daphne!"

A blond girl strode forth, walking tall and proud. It didn't take long for her to be sorted into Slytherin, after which she proceeded to sit right in front of Eiko. Harry watched as sparks seemed to fly between the two girls as they glared at one another. Gulping, Harry looked away and hoped to Merlin that he wouldn't be sorted into Slytherin.

_Why are you praying to Merlin? The dude is a troll. Trust me, son, and my wise words of wisdom._

Harry had to resist the urge to jump as his dad's words registered in his mind.

'Dad? Where's papa?' Harry discreetly asked- er, thought.

Sora was silent on the other end for several seconds. A stone dropped in the center of Harry's stomach. That couldn't be good news. Then, at last, Sora spoke.

_He'll be better. He needs space. So, I'm gonna give it to him. But, you don't need to worry about that, kiddo! It's almost your turn!_

Harry was pretty sure that yes, he needed to worry about it because anything that worried papa was likely important but he decided not to mention that. Partially because Sora lived in Harry's head so Sora already knew exactly how Harry felt about said issue. Instead, he turned his head back to the sorting just in time for a red eared Neville Longbottom to be sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

Yet another blond outright strutted forth, and wasn't that a weird sight. The hat hadn't even touched his head before the voice bellowed out,  **"Slytherin!"**

It was the next sorting, however, that had Harry completely on edge as a feeling of fear shot through him. Not so much from Harry, but from his dad, which made it all the scarier. Anything capable of scaring his dad couldn't be good. No way in hell.

"Mori, Vanitas!"

_What- how- wait, is that Dora? Oh. Oh! That's why Ven said I was being an idiot, he he._

Harry blinked. What? Who in the living Hades was Dora?

Vanitas paused as a sneeze ripped through him. Shooting a sharp golden eyed glare at the offender, he was pleased as Harry flinched under the gaze. Then, he made his way forth and snatched the hat from a disgruntled looking McGonagall, placing the thing on his head.

_**Interesting. Very interesting. My, my. Ohhh, and I think the other boy can hear me, hm.** _

Harry had to resist the urge to jump. After having so many voices in his head over the years, he was rather good at it. The Sorting Hat had just talked in his head. Or, rather, the Sorting Hat had talked into Vanitas' head and Harry had heard as well, for some reason that was beyond him.

_**Oh my! Such a wild temper! My dear boy, we are just getting started.** _

It was weird listening to one side of a conversation, which evidently was what was happening now.

_**How are you so sure the other is here?** _

The hat paused as Vanitas mumbled something to it.

_**Obviously, your senses are off if you cannot tell that I have not sorted that one yet. Now, where to put you…** _

Vanitas then proceeded to let loose a string of curses that everyone heard. McGonagall outright glared while several of the older students whistled. Harry didn't even need to look back to imagine the offended look Hermione must have been sporting.

"You filthy fuckin' piece of rejected wardrobe! Do what I say before I rearrange your essence across the realms and feed you to an army of Floods!"

Harry didn't know what a Flood was other than when water levels rose above where humans liked them to be, but the Sorting Hat apparently did since it took great offense to it. This time, when it spoke, Harry realized everyone could hear the hat, just like when it was singing.

**"Oh? Threatening me, boy? I know just where to put someone as brash as you… GRYFFINDOR!"**

Vanitas tossed the hat off his head and, had McGonagall not stopped him, Harry wouldn't have been surprised if the other boy lit the hat on fire. He definitely looked like he was considering it.

"Mr. Mori!" McGonagall spoke sternly. The boy glared up at her. "To your House table, or you'll be serving detention with me tonight!"

Vanitas growled. Then, with one last clench of his teeth and a glare at the hat, Vanitas departed towards the Gryffindor table. There was no cheering. There was no, yay, we got another one. No, instead, a few students inched away from Vanitas in evident fear. Harry couldn't help but feel bad for the other boy. Sure, Vanitas did have a temper, but still.

Regaining her composure once more, McGonagall continued the sorting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Vivi, surprisingly, followed Vanitas into Gryffindor, which made little sense to Harry. The brash Vanitas had all but screamed Gryffindor. The timid Vivi screamed (whimpered, really) hide me please.

A pair of twins named Padma and Parvati followed, and each went to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, respectively. Huh. That was weird. You'd think twins would end up in the same house, but meh.

"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall called Harry forth.

"Did she say Potter?"

"The Harry Potter?"

"Oh, is it finally that time?"

"Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts?"

Harry, ignoring them all, gulped.

_Don't worry about it. We'll be proud of you, Harry. No matter what._

With Sora's voice in his head whispering assurances, Harry stepped forth, determination written on every line of his face.

* * *

**~ Omake~**

Vanitas' Conversation with the Sorting Hat

Why Vanitas had to go through this process was beyond him. Tch. As if any of this mattered. Still. This was the best way to achieve his goal. It was also the only way he'd get his regular body back instead of this annoying childlike one that he'd been cursed into.

So, with great reluctance, Vanitas sat down and shoved the Sorting Hat above his head. To his shock, it began to speak. The speaking bit wasn't surprising, no, but the part where it was literally in his head definitely was. Telepathic headgear. Joy.

_**Interesting. Very interesting. My, my. Ohhh, and I think the other boy can hear me, hm.** _

Vanitas growled at the words. What did he care if Ventus could hear? It only meant Ventus was here, just like Vanitas had suspected. That meant Vanitas was all the more closer to his goal.

"I don't care if he can hear! Just get on with the sorting, and be quick about it!"

_**Oh my! Such a wild temper! My dear boy, we are just getting started.** _

"Shut up. Just place me near Ventus so I can kill him. Slowly." Vanitas ordered, done with the hat's bullshit. If the hat didn't obey, it would face the consequences of defying Vanitas. That was a promise.

_**How are you so sure the other is here?** _

"Because, I can sense him! Now do it!"

_**Obviously, your senses are off if you cannot tell that I have not sorted that one yet. Now, where to put you…** _

Vanitas bristed at the words. Okay, so even he wasn't entirely sure if Ventus was here or not and he was going off a hunch(that, and his curser had stated very plainly that Vanitas wouldn't be returned to his proper age unless he attended this blasted school) and the hat had all but confirmed it when it stated someone else, a boy, could hear them.

The boy, Vanitas knew, had to be Ventus. Or, whoever Ventus had been reincarnated as.

"You filthy fuckin' piece of rejected wardrobe! Do what I say before I rearrange your essence across the realms and feed you to an army of Floods!"

**"Oh? Threatening me, boy? I know just where to put someone as brash as you… GRYFFINDOR!"**

…

Destroying the hat would compromise the mission. Destroying the hat would compromise the mission. Compromising the mission meant the mission would never be completed. An uncompleted mission meant Vanitas would be a child for all eternity, because the man who had done this to him was a troll and Vanitas had no doubt that the curse would continue on until he started aging in reverse. Therefore, destroying the hat was no an option.

McGonagall's loud scolding was a godsend as Vanitas only barely managed to resist burning the damn thing to ash. Without another word, the yellow eyed boy stormed his way to the Gryffindor table, to his new so called 'family'. Ha! Such funny words, in such a funny world.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Harry's house was a pretty close call. I was divided on where to put him, but went with Hufflepuff in the end.

Also, this story now has another related one shot. Titled Afterfall, it shows some of the after affects of Sora dying for everyone else other than Riku. I'll probably be including scenes from that one in this story a bit later on

Anyways, enjoy :)

Published: 01/02/2017

Warnings: None for this one

_Italics: Sora_

Underline: Ventus

_**Sorting Hat mental** _

**"Sorting Hat talking outloud"**

* * *

** Chapter 11 **

**Harry's Sorting**

The second the hat settled over Harry's head, he knew something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. Something was wrong, but he didn't quiet now wha-

_**Oh! You! Hm. You must be the one the other boy was hunting. He did mention your name, but I wasn't sure if it was really you or someone who shared that name. Fascinating. Fascinating. It's been so long, Ventus** _

Huh?

From within the back of Harry's head, he felt it. It felt like a lock snapping, but instead of a door slamming shut, it was more like one was swinging open. Papa, Harry realized.

You. It's… It's been a very long time.

_You guys know each other? Wait, how do you guys know each other?_

The time in this world flows almost at random with the other worlds, Sora. I had suspected, but I wasn't sure until know. Hi.

_**Hi? Hi? Is that all you have to say to me after all this time and no visits, Ventus? Hi? How rude! How utterly rude! You helped enchant me!** _

Oh shut up. I got lost on the road to life.

Elsewhere, Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha both sneezed.

Anyways, would you sort my ki- dbhsdbvukbrfvru

Harry nearly fell over.

His papa was letting lose a stream of curses that would make Jack Sparrow blush. And, it definitely took a lot to make a pirate like Jack Sparrow blush.

_Ventus! Stop that! Harry is listing!_

Harry is gonna die, you blithering idiot! Hat! If we were ever, ever friends, do not place my kid in the same house as Vanitas!

_You're overreacting, Ven._  Harry could actually hear the eyeroll in his dad's voice. _Dora-_

Is a raging sociopath! Hat!

_**Don't tell me how to do my job!**_ The hat all but huffed. Then, Harry felt the hat turn its attention back to him.  _ **Now, my dear boy… Where to sort you. Hm. You seem a mix of your parents. Sora, the Hufflepuff, and Ventus, the Slytherin.**_

… Hat, I swear to god.

_**I haven't finished! Now… Where to sort you? Hm… Let's see. Where would you fit in best, Harry Potter.** _

Dad was a Hufflepuff? That didn't surprise Harry very much. Dad did seem very Hufflepuffish. Charming and smiling like mad, friendly to a fault, loyal and trusting. Hufflepuff did seem to fit dad.

Papa as a Slytherin also fit. Cool and calm, each action calculated, cunning and smart.

But, those were his parents. That wasn't Harry. Harry was Harry, and Harry was different than both of them.

**_You're a charming boy, but you use it to manipulate others. It's how you've learned. You used your charm to manipulate your muggle family. True, you grew affection for two of them in the end, but it was a manipulation in the start. How Slytherin of you, child._ **

Harry… Harry had done what? He hadn't even noticed, but it was true, wasn't it? He wanted to badly for them to accept him. But… Was that really a manipulation? The Sorting Hat seemed to think so.

**_On the other hand… You value the bonds you have. Those you truly consider friends are what is most precious to you. The concept of deception is one you should never practice, child. You don't have the heart for it._ **

Harry bristled before realizing that the Hat might be right about that one too. Harry did value his friends. He valued them because they were precious, they were all he had, and what's life without friends? At the same time, Harry wasn't good at lying. Distracting, maybe, but not lying. It was only luck that McGonagall hadn't interrogated him over the internal conversation he'd had out loud in her presence.

**_You have a curious mind. You wish to know. To see. To explore. The wonders of the universe. The why doesn't matter, you merely wish to see. A child's fascination, much like the one you call 'dad'._ **

Harry did want to see. He wanted to see very much. He wanted to see, he wanted to explore. He wanted to see all the world's dad had described. He wanted to fly in the skies of Neverland, sail with the Pirates of Port Royal, swim with the mermaids of Atlantica. And, maybe, see knew worlds, as far as the eye could see and even past that.

**_So where, oh where, will I place… Ah. Ah, there. There it is._ **

Then, the brim of the hat opened.

**"Hufflepuff!"**

McGonagall swept the hat off of Harry's head. Harry smiled up at the teacher before dashing off towards the stunned table of Badgers. It didn't remain stunned for long. Soon, there were wide whooping cheers as the House of Helga Hufflepuff realized that yes, they got Harry Potter.

* * *

Theodore Nott had not expected to be sorted into Ravenclaw. If anything, he expected to be sorted into Slytherin, just like the rest of his family. He wasn't the only one breaking expected norms, however, as the Harry Potter managed to get himself sent into Hufflepuff. The Savior of the Wizarding World. A Hufflepuff.

Merlin. The Daily Prophet was going to have a field day.

Personally, Nott didn't see anything wrong with Hufflepuff. The House of the Loyal. In today's world, loyalty was the most valuable of all essences. Loyalty, as far as Nott was concerned, trumped cunning and trumped bravery.

…

Perhaps, Nott realized, that way of thinking was why he had been sorted into Ravenclaw instead of into Slytherin like expected. Ravenclaw wasn't bad. It wasn't bad at all. He wondered if any of them would mind his familiar. He doubted it. Ravens did tend to keep to themselves, and Nott doubted he'd be bothered much in this house as long as he didn't bother anyone else.

Shooting a look at the Snowy Owl currently perched on her favorite perch, which, annoyingly enough, was his shoulder, Nott spoke.

"What do you think about that, girl? Potter's in Hufflepuff. Nice twist, huh?"

Xion gave Nott an unimpressed look. With a hoot, she turned her head away, ignoring him. Nott rolled his eyes. What an annoying familiar. She was so picky. She hadn't responded to any name either until Nott had started calling her Xion. Why was beyond him, but hey, maybe she'd been someone else's familiar before?

Nah. He doubted it. Not with the way Xion acted. Still, tricky owls.

* * *

It was only after his sorting that Harry realized he'd been placed in a house with people he didn't really know. Maybe he should have argued to have been put in Gryffindor? Sure, he'd of had Vanitas to put up with, but hey, he'd also have been with Dean and Hermione. Now, they were literally a house away. Hm.

Whatever. He'd sit with them tomorrow. There wasn't a rule against that, was there?

"Harry! Welcome to Hufflepuff!" Justin beamed at Harry, extending a hand out. Without hesitation, Harry shook it even as the rest of the house began to settle down. The Sorting Hat bellowed out one last 'Slytherin' as Blaise Zabini made his way over to the house of the snakes.

Zacharias Smith then sent Harry a very Malfoy like sneer.

"How in the name of Merlin did you end up in our house?" he stated snidely, eyes roving up and down Harry in a way that made him slightly uncomfortable. Dudley had given him those stares back when Harry Hunting had been a thing. Zacharias was sizing him up, wondering how much of a threat to him Harry would be.

"Come off it, Smith. Stop being a prat." another blond Hufflepuff, and Harry was beginning to believe this was some sort of trend, rolled his eyes at Smith before turning towards Harry. Holding his hand out, the other teen spoke. "Ernie. Ernie Macmillan. Please to meet yah." the boy greeted.

Harry shook his hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you all too."

"Huh. A Potter in Hufflepuff. Cool. I'm the first in my family to break a trend to." a female voice spoke up. Harry turned towards the voice. A strange girl with bubblegum pink hair, of all things, greeted him.

… This world isn't as different as I assumed it would be.

_Why would it, mr. I've totally been here before but didn't say anything._

Do you have any idea how many worlds look like this place? You battled a literal phantom at a replica of this worlds Tower of London, Sora.

_… Touche. You have me there._

Harry sometimes wondered if his parents were aware that he could hear every little word they said. Sometimes, he was sure, they forgot. He couldn't blame them. They were in his head, after all, so it must be easy for them to forget. In the mind, thought is speech. The idea of a filter doesn't really exists.

_Of course we know you're there, Harry. Congrats on getting into Hufflepuff!_

Harry couldn't resist the urge to beam wildly at the words.

"Woah, boy. You may be cute, but way too young for my tastes. Try again in a few years."

"Huh?"

It was only then that Harry realized that he had shot his beaming smile straight at the girl with the bubblegum pink hair. Instantly, he went red. The girl, however, just laughed it off and extended a hand towards him. "Tonks. Just Tonks. And, you are?"

Harry resisted the urge to raise to raise an eyebrow at the question. Everyone and their mothers seemed to know who Harry was. Still, he'd humor her.

"Harry! Nice to meet you!" he stated, with an enthusiastic shake of her hand.

With a smile, Harry glanced around at his new house. They all looked so happy, so lively. Yeah. This was a place where Harry could grow. This was a place Harry would like. Hufflepuff, Harry decided, felt warm. Warm, cosy, and like a home.

"I have several announcements to make." The Headmaster declared loudly. Then, he went on a spiel about how the list of objects forbidden in school had been updated, wandering the Forbidden Forest was Forbidden, and how they should all stay out of the Third Floor Corridor unless they wanted a very painful death.

Harry blinked. What on earth?

Who put this man in charge of a school?

_I kinda like him. He reminds me a bit of Master Yensid._

If Master Yensid was a couple of centuries older and gone senile, maybe. This is a school! Not a battle ground!

Dad then decided to ignore Papa. Harry had the mental image of him turning away from Papa, nose upturned and instead looking right at Harry, ignoring the other occupant of Harry's mental scape.

_Harry, when your older, we're exploring that forest!_

We most certainly are not!

_I said when he's older, Ven. Older. You know, after we've taught him more and stuff._

Uh huh. Right. As if you're not itching to go charging in right now.

Before long, they were moving towards their respective dorm rooms as the feast came to an end. Still, harry pondered, what was it with Dumbledore and rattling off about how certain death would be found in the Third Hall Corridor? His parents had a literal argument about it, with Dad finding the idea fun and Papa finding the idea asinine.

…

The Sorting Hat had been wrong, Harry decided. Dad was a total Gryffindor.

Harry heard Papa snort in his head while Dad pouted.


	12. First Morning

A/N: So, this story is getting an official prequel, called Frozen Memories. Considering how this story starts, you can all guess how that one is going to ultimately end

Published: 1/13/2018

Warnings: None

_Italics: Sora_

Underline: Ventus

 

* * *

** Chapter 12 **

**First Morning**

Harry, don't you dare young man.

'Awe, come on. I just wanna-'

NO! And that's final. Now, stop this or so help me, I will ground you for li-

_Ah, come on, Ven,_  Sora shameless echoed Harry, _Let him go sit with his friends! Friends are important!_

Stop undermining my authority! And I don't care if he goes near his friends, the one he isn't allowed near is Vanitas!

_Seriously. Dora is a nice boy-_

'Dora' tried to kill one of my bestfriends while using my body to do it! 'Nice' isn't in his vocabulary!

Harry groaned and shoved his head into a pillow, letting loose a short scream. His parents had been arguing about the subject for at least an hour. Harry, used to rising early, had awoken before anyone else. With a cheerful grin, he had told Sora and Ventus his plans on sitting at the Gryffindor table this morning with Dean and Hermione.

And thus, it had begun. They'd been going at it for so long that Harry was no longer the only one awake.

Harry's roommates eyed him oddly as Harry let out a tiny pent up scream.

"Mate, Harry, is everything alright?" Justin spoke up hesitantly.

Harry easily plastered a smile over his face as he looked up, grinning. It was a little disturbing how good he was at faking those, actually. Huh. Maybe that annoying hat did have a point when it said Harry had Slytherin tendencies.

"I'm perfectly fine. It's just so new, you know." Harry said.

Zacharias gauffled at the words as they all turned to look at the blond. "Oh please, Potter. We all know you've been training to be a magical prodigy since birth. What else would be expected of the boy who lived?"

_… I don't like blondie. Hm. He reminds me of a certain someone..._

FOR THE LAST TIME, SORA, JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS BLOND DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE LIKE ME!

_I didn't say that! Harry, did you hear me say that?_

Harry easily tuned out their quarrel with all the practice and ease of someone who's done it a thousand times over. Instead, he shot Zacharias a confused look. It didn't take much. He really was confused by the other boys words, so faking an expression wasn't necessary.

"What on earth are you talking about? I was raised by my Muggle relaties, who didn't even admit magic was real to me until last year." Harry revealed.

Zacharias blinked as the rest of Harry's roommates looked startled at the revelation. Then, Zacharias' face broke into a sneer.

"Yeah right! Come off it, Potter, we all know the truth!"

Harry sat up, sporting a look Sora had mastered long ago. A frown-pout. Sora affectionately called it the frout. Ventus affectionately called it Sora's stupid face.

"With all due respect, you don't know anything about me, and I don't know anything about you either. Why are you even so angry?"

Zacharias didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, with an upturned nose, the blond made his way out of the dormitory, the door slamming shut behind him with an audible thud.

Harry turned to look at the rest of his dorm mates. Justin, Ernie, Wayne, and Neville all looked as lost as Harry felt.

"... So. Who's hungry and knows how to navigate giant castles?"

_I do! I don't like them very much, though. There's usually an evil villain cackling at the end of the road with some twisted plot and yadda yadda yadda._

You're exaggerating, Sora. Why do you always exaggerate?

_Oh yeah? What happened the last time you walked into a castle, huh mister? Oh wait, you didn't make it past the front gate before being confronted by the cackling evil!_

Harry blinked as he had a mental flash of what he could only describe as a Dark Jedi chasing a fleeing Ventus around. Huh. Whatever. With a smile on his face, Harry was determined to make the best of his first day at Hogwarts.

* * *

Vanitas was not having a good day. Not at all.

He'd been sorted into the house of the goody two shoes. He had no idea where Ventus was, only that he was somewhere in this blasted castle. That annoying twerp, Ornitier, had been sorted into the same house as him, and, most annoying of all…

"Are you part werewolf? Is that why your eyes are all yellow and glowly?"

A few feet away from Ventus, Ronald Weasley was shaking in his bed. Apparently, the redhead hadn't noticed Vanitas' eyes until this morning, upon which he had assumed Vanitas was going to transform randomly upon them all and eat him.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. How Ornitier managed to avoid this type of harassment, when he literally looked like a walking, talking Heartless, was beyond Vanitas. Actually, it added a good deal to his ire. He had to corner the brat later and get the secret out of him. And avoid possible flare spells.

"No, Weasley. For the last time. I am not a werewolf!" Vanitas snapped.

"I don't know. You definitely got weird eyes, mate." Seamus Finnigan said, and, with a tilt of his head, shamelessly stared into Vanitas' golden eyes.

Eyes which Vanitas rolled. Again.

"I'm not a bloody werewolf. I am, however, getting annoyed." Vanitas growled out menacingly. Weasley, in a very unGrynffindorish move, squeeled. Vanitas eyed the redhead with annoyance. How that had been placed in the House of the Brave was beyond Vanitas.

Then, Weasley met his gaze head on and… It seemed like something just clicked in the other boy. Weasley growled right back as he gripped his sheets fiercely. Vanitas blinked. Oh? What was this? Interesting, interesting.

"If you are… I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

Vanitas rolled his eyes. Again.

"If I was, I doubted the Headmaster would have let me in. Who lets a werewolf into a school, anyways?" Vanitas had a brief mental image of Saix, the closest thing he could think of to a werewolf, masquerading as a student and shuddered. That would not turn out well. Saix was perhaps the only person Vanitas knew with bigger anger problems than his own.

In his office, Dumbledore sneezed. In a small house in an undisclosed location in France, Remus Lupin did the same.

"He's got a point. Besides, its just weird eyes. Did you see that Hufflepuff next to Harry? She was changing her hair color at random, from blue to pink to red." Dean told Ron plainly.

Ron faltered.

"Yeah, but…"

"Whatever. I'm done with you humans." Vanitas rose, stretching out a bit. Then, without missing a beat, the boy tossed himself to the ground and began his morning reps. The other boys blinked.

"What… What are you doing?" Seamus asked.

"What does it look like?" Vanitas said between pushups. "These muscles of mine didn't magically appear all on their own, after all." Okay, so they totally had and he had been born looking like this, but they didn't need to know that.

* * *

The Battle for the Slytherin Common room would go down in the secret records of Slytherin House. Unknown to all, the members of Slytherin kept a rather accurate record of the ongoings of Hogwarts. Access to said records was restricted, and only a select few in the school knew anything about it. They did, of course, have agents scattered across the houses, if only for proper accuracy for events.

The current events that were being recorded had no need for outside agents.

It was horrible.

It was terrifying.

It was an utter work of art.

Eiko Carol smiled to herself as she stood above a pile of groaning Slytherins, most of them several years her senior. Wiping her hands, the hell child smirked. Several feet away from her, Draco Malfoy whimpered as he backed away slowly.

"Does anyone else wish to oppose my rule?" Eiko smiled sweetly at them all.

A frigid ice spell collided against Eiko's shield, bouncing off the reflect spell and gazing the ground around her. Eiko turned towards the assailant. Daphne Greengrass stalked forth, brandishing her wand.

"Don't do it!"

"She's a demon!"

"Not human!"

"Run away!"

Daphne twirled her wand in hand, a fierce look in the girl's cobalt eyes.

"I won't let you do this. If anyone will rule the Slytherins… It's me."

Eiko gave a twisted laugh as she grinned evilly.

It was in that moment that Daphne actually woke up. Blinking several times, the blond girl groaned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Huh. What a weird dream. Why would she dream that anyways?

One quick glance around the torn up dorm answered all of Daphne's questions. Oh. Right. That. She and Carol had fought, but it hadn't been for the control of Slytherin House. It had been for the control of the Slytherin First Years. Draco Malfoy had attempted to join in, but Carol had wacked him over the head with a racket of all things, taking him out of the running.

Daphne didn't remember going to bed, though. What she did remember was dodging spells back and forth against that little demon child, and the damage showed. Yes, all the furniture they'd destroyed had been seemingly restored, but you couldn't exactly hide scorch marks.

Daphne twisted off the bed and attempted to stand. Keyword her being the word attempt. Her muscles failing her, the 11 year old groaned as she nearly fell over, her only saving grace being the cabinet beside her upon where she rested her weight. What in the world?

"Last night," a cool, silky voice rang out, and Daphne forze, "I received reports of 'strange sounds' coming from the First Year Dormitories. Imagine, my surprise, at finding a pair of First Years trading spells back and forth like a pair of Gryffindors."

Slowly, Daphne turned her head. There, sipping tea and acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world, was Professor Snape. He sat reclined in a chair in the corner of the room, sipping at his cup before setting it down on the small round table before him.

Snape's eyes gleamed. Several feet away, Daphne noticed Carol herself twist in her sleep, a snore falling from the midget's lips as she did so.

"Professor." Daphne acknowledged.

Snape twitched. Then, he took another sip.

"Whatever internal conflicts we have, I suggest the pair of you get it under control. We Slytherin must always present a united front to the school. You should know this, Miss Greengrass. Now, get out of my sight, before the breakfast in the Great Hall gets cold."

A sudden flash of adrenaline was all it took to get her aching muscles to move. Daphne, still clad in the same clothes that she had arrived the previous night in and her hair a messy array of jags pointing every which way, sped out of the dormitory like a bat out of hell.

With a sigh, Snape turned his eyes to the other sleeping girl. If Potter arriving wasn't bad enough, he now had to put up with this. Snape personally didn't know anything about the sleeping girl, but he could already tell that she was going to be a pain.

* * *

Vivi had successfully made his way down to the Great Hall. Being put in the same dorm room as the scary boy from the train hadn't been fun, but the hat had insistent that it was the perfect place for him. Why it thought Vivi, of all people, belonged in Gryffindor was beyond him, but still.

Maybe it was because Vivi wasn't human?

Vivi wasn't sure what he was, just like Eiko wasn't sure what she was. Vivi had dark light sucking skin. Eiko had a literal horn growing out of her head. For whatever reason, most couldn't actually see those features. So far, the only person Vivi had met that could see his true form was Eiko, and she had told him plainly that it was the same for her. Only Vivi could see her horn.

The pair of them didn't know what made them different, but getting a letter to Hogwarts, they had assumed that it might explain a few things.

Except, no, it hadn't, because everyone else here with the exception of Hagrid looked perfectly human, thank you very much. And, either the others couldn't see or it was common place enough that no one bothered commenting, although Vivi was pretty sure it was the former.

Still. He wanted to find Eiko. She was the only person in this place who-

"Ah!" Vivi gave a small shriek as he collided with something tall and solid and wearing dark robes.

"Oh! Sorry, my ba- hey, you're the kid from the train!"

Vivi gulped and looked up. Dark robes with a yellow trim, startling green eyes and a pair of eskew glasses that looked like they'd been pulled right off the clearance section at Walmart. He had collided with Harry Potter. The Harry Potter. Vivi squeaked.

Harry looked at him oddly for it, but offered a hand nonetheless. Vivi took it, and felt himself pulled up.

"How was your first night?" Harry smiled at him as he began to walk forward, evidently expecting Vivi to follow. Which he did.

"It was okay." Vivi lied through his teeth. In truth, he'd shot Vanitas occasional looks all night long and had only been able to sleep after he was sure the other boy was out for the count. And, even then, he hadn't sleep much and had run out of the dormitory like a bat out of hell the second he'd been up.

"How's Dora treating you? He made a real scene last night with the whole threatening the Sorting Hat thing." Harry spoke as he, oddly enough, sat at the Gryffindor table. Vivi wasn't going to question it though as he sat down right next to him.

"Who?" Vivi was flummoxed, his mind providing the mental image of a little Mexican girl asking him where the Shining Moon Bridge was. Then, the rest of Harry's words registered.

The one who had threatened the Sorting Hat.

Vivi was glad he hadn't started to eat, because he choked up a bit. Harry arched an eyebrow before chomping down on a sausage.

"You call that monster Dora?!"

Harry shrugged. "Inside joke. Pancakes?" Harry offered.

Merlin's beard. How Potter wasn't sorted into Gryffindor while he himself was, Vivi would never know.


	13. Super Chibi Greasy Vernon Junior

A/N: I had two separate openings for this chapter and promptly merged them

And the prequel is moving along, although slowly

Also, I totally wrote this on my phone

Published: 2/19/2018

Warnings: None

Underline: Ventus

_Italics: Sora_

* * *

 

**Chapter 13**

**Super Chibi Greasy Vernon Junior**

You are so grounded, young man! I cannot believe that you went against my orders the moment Sora distracted me!"

_Awe, come on Ven. Calm down. It's not the end of the world._

Stop being so nonchalant about this, and stop undermining my authority! Our son is in danger! His life is in danger!

_Stop being so melodramatic_

Harry was having a very hard time keeping a straight face. Normally, doing so was easy, but a pissed off Papa was a dangerous Papa. Dad was obviously trying to calm him down, but Harry didn't think this would be one time where said calling methods would actually work.

Actually, did they ever work?

…

Nah. Harry was pretty sure it never worked now that he really thought about it. Papa really did have a wild temper which belated his usual calm composure.

Elsewhere, Bruce Banner sneezed.

"Harry? What are you doing here?"

Harry looked up and grinned as Dean sat down across from him, Hermione and an Irish boy from the Sorting ceremony following close at his heels.

Beside Harry, Vivi squirmed uncomfortably. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Ventus decided to come back full force. Harry could practically feel his rage.

Harry James Potter, you are in so much trouble, young man! You are grounded for life! Life, you hear me?

Harry hid a wince. Unfortunately, little Vivi was rather perceptive so the kid noticed.

"What's wrong?" Vivi asked.

"Nothing." Harry assured the boy, a smile plastered over his face as he started grabbing items for breakfast. Fake smile, mind you, but believable nonetheless. Harry was way too good at those. Hm. Maybe he should look into a career in acting after Hogwarts.

In an alternate universe, Daniel Radcliffe sneezed.

I specifically told you to avoid this table! I don't care if you hang out with your friends! In fact, I encourage it! However, anything that leaves you near-

_I'm starting to think there's more to this than you're telling us. What's the big deal?_

In a rather telling moment, Harry heard Papa go silent. With one last fume, Papa retreated into the back of Harry's head. Harry winced.

He didn't want to make his Papa angry, but he also wanted to sit with his friends this morning. Yeah, he could always technically visit them whenever he wanted to, but his classes would be with his Dorm Mates, so he wanted to spend the first morning over here.

Was that so bad?

_No, Harry, it isn't. What you need to understand is that Ven is… Well, I'll be blunt. He's scared for you._

Harry could see why. Dad described Vanitas as being this creature of shadows that helped him whenever he needed it. Papa described Vanitas as a walking, talking nightmare from which more nightmares formed.

'I-' Harry began.

"What're you doin' here?" a voice interrupted Harry's musing. Harry looked up. An orange haired boy sat down across from him, next to Hermione. He was covered in so many freckles that Harry wondered briefly if some of them had been painted on for show. The question from the other boy wasn't accusatory, like Zacharias the other night. Rather, it had more of a curious tinge to it.

"I wanted to sit next to my friends this morning." Harry shrugged.

The redhead, Ron if Harry remembered correctly, opened his mouth to respond when they were all interrupted by an incoming ball of energy and destruction.

"VIVI! You wouldn't believe the night I had! I became the reigning Queen of Slytherin, and the rest of the first years have to bow to me!"

Harry yelped as Eiko vaulted through mid air, landing next to Vivi with a smile on her face.

Ron's expression turned ugly.

"You're a Slytherin! What's a slimy snake doing at our table? Harry's okay 'cause he's Harry and a Hufflepuff, and Puffs are nice! We don't want snakes!" Ron snapped at the girl. Eiko responded to this declaration by blatantly ignoring him, instead turning to her more reserved friend, chatting a mile a minute.

…

Harry's opinion of the redhead was rapidly decreasing. Papa was a Slytherin according to the Hat and yeah, Papa wasn't exactly Harry's favorite person right now, but that did count for something. As for Eiko and Vivi, Harry was slowly coming to the conclusion that he was seeing something that he had only heard rumors about: The Extrovert, adopting the Introvert.

"Don't ignore me!" Ron yelled, face rapidly turning red.

Hermione eyed Ron with distaste.

"Stop being so rude."

"That little brat got dirt all over our food!"

It was true. Eiko vaulting over the table had left a small trail of dirt in its rein. Harry was personally glad his own food had been spared the carnage. Ron's, however, seemed to have been hit the worst.

Nevermind. Harry could perfectly understand the redheaded boy's ire.

Eiko responded with a casual jab of her wand in Ron's direction, which, logically, had the Gryffindor jumping in fright. That, Harry couldn't blame him for. Wands were pretty damn dangerous. You never know what spell is going to blast away from them.

Notably, nothing happened. At least, not on the surface. Harry personally wasn't impressed. If anything, it looked like Eiko was just jabbing the wand to scare Ron. If that was her aim, it worked.

_She didn't… Oh wow, she did! Huh. And wordlessly too. Pay attention, Harry._

Harry sat up. If Dad said there was more to it, then there was. Dad's instincts were usually on point, even if Dad himself admitted he usually didn't follow them.

Years earlier, Sora's instincts told him continuing was a bad idea. The ache in his heart kept on beating, so he ignored it, forging on anyways and nearly became a vessel for Xehanort in the process.

Ron blinked for a second before his mouth opened, bellowing out again, except for one tiny little critical detail. Ron yelled and yelled, but no sound escaped his lips. The redhead was rapidly losing color.

"Miss Carol, I believe I implicity ordered you to stop using that silencing spell of yours."

Harry wasn't alone in jumping. Out of seemingly thin air, Severus Snape had appeared, a schedule in hand. Eiko then proved she had no sense of self preservation by rolling her eyes at her head of house. Harry idly noticed that half of Gryffindor House seemed to be eying the girl in unmasked awe.

Snape twitched.

"Reverse it."

Eiko waved her wand again.

"-and how in the hell did you end up in Slytherin, and how dare you take my voice, Fred and George are annoying little pricks and- I can speak?" Ron blinked, surprised.

"Detention, Miss Carol." Snape's voice cut across, causing gasps to be heard across the hall. Harry wasn't sure why. What so odd about the Head of Slytherin disciplining a student that wasn't falling in line?

Eiko smiled up at Snape.

"Of course, Professor. I look forward to it."

Snape twitched again. Without another word, the Potions Master handed Eiko what Harry could only assume was a schedule before stalking off, back towards his own table.

Silence.

…

"Eiko! You shouldn't be provoking the teachers like that!"

That had to be the longest sentence Harry had ever heard Vivi speak. In Harry's defense, he hadn't known Vivi very long.

_Silence spell. It's more dangerous than it looks. It doesn't just take away your voice: it temporarily seals a person's magic._

Harry blinked at that. A spell capable of sealing someone's magic? Now, that right there was a scary thought. Harry personally knew how to function without his magic, because his parents had made him, but how would these people react to something like that?

So caught up in his musings, Harry didn't notice the slight hitch in his Dad's voice as he described the effects of Silence.

Harry decided to steer clear of Carol.

"Did our ears deceive us?"

"Did Snapeikins actually give a snaky a detention?"

"How on earth did you manage that?"

Eiko smiled.

Harry shivered.

He had a bad feeling about this. A very, very bad feeling.

"Ah. Mr. Potter. I see that you, like Miss Carol, are avoiding your House table." a voice called out. Harry turned as Professor Sprout made her way forth.

"Not avoiding," Harry denied. "I wanted to spend my first breakfast here with my friends." Harry motioned towards Dean and Hermione, causing the latter to blush.

This seemed to please Professor Sprout.

"It is always good to see students from other Houses getting along. Here you go." Sprout handed Harry his schedule. With a smile, he accepted it as Professor Sprout turned away, making her way back towards the Hufflepuff table.

Surprisingly, Harry did not come across Vanitas that morning. The why eluded him, but Harry didn't care. He'd avoid the golden eyed boy because Papa said so, but Harry personally didn't he had anything to worry about in that department. How bad could Vanitas possibly be?

All in all, Harry decided, it was a good way to start the school year.

* * *

 

Ventus sighed.

"Sora and Harry just won't listen to me! They're so much like Terra! Plunge in head first and ignore all the warning signs! It's annoying as hell!"

Ventus supposed that of all the people he could have vented to, no pun intended(no, really, no pun was actually intended), Tom Riddle was probably on the very top of the list of people he shouldn't, but regardless, that's exactly what Ventus was doing.

Smart of him, right?

Tom's form flickered again. Sometimes, Ven was dealing with an adult. Other times, a child. A teen. A young man. An old man. Just constant never ending shifting. It was a never ending cycle.

For whatever reason, this actually made Ventus more at ease around the other in a way that he didn't feel even around Sora. Although, that might have more to do with a few other factors Sora wasn't aware of than anything else.

Tom's form shifted into that of a teen. It typically did whenever he was annoyed. Lo and behold, Tom looked like he was on the verge of groaning much like an annoyed teen who was told to do the dishes when all he wanted to do was take one long well deserved nap.

"Do you always have to bring your point problems to me? Really? Can't you, I don't know, channel it into something effective?"

Tom had, of course, first attempted to manipulate Ventus and draw from his soul to strengthen himself. That had ended rather terribly for Tom when a, Ventus caught on right away and b, the composition of Ven's soul caused… Unforeseen side effects.

Or, in other words, Ventus had such an unnaturally pure soul due to what Xehanort had done to him that it literally burned Tom to even try and channel it. So, that plan went right out the window.

Unfortunately for Tom, though, that didn't stop Ventus from visiting him and besieging him with endless complaints. What did Ven think he was, a therapist?

"Like what? Fighting off your pitiful attempts to take over my body? I don't even have a body!"

Tom narrowed his eyes.

"No. But Harry do-"

Tom really shouldn't have said that. You would have thought he learned the first time. However, Tom Riddle had always been rather… Arrogant in his own abilities. With all the power he wielded, he had every right to feel arrogant.

Except in front of Ventus.

Whatever power Tom had, he was just a shard. Ventus was a half, but a half far stronger than any one piece of a person.

Tom found himself pinned with a Keyblade to his throat, a position he had found himself in many times before.

"Tom, Tom, Tom…" with the shadows covering his eyes like that, he looked like an avenging angel, Tom decided. An avenging angel that would tear him to pieces if he made one wrong move. Ventus finally met his gaze, eyes shining with fire. "How many times do I have to tell you? Even threatening to harm Harry- shit!" Ventus cried, releasing the Keyblade as Tom's shard did what it usually did when it was feeling afraid and threatened. The angsty teen melted away, leaving a whimpering child.

Ventus quickly got off, offering a hand. Little Tom didn't seem to have the same aversion to others as teen Tom, and he took it easily enough.

"Was the other me being mean again?"

"He was being him." Ventus shrugged, feeling slightly better. Teen Tom was a pain, but he did get Ven's mind off things, if only for a little it.

Little Tom looked away. Ventus personally was surprised by how shy Voldemort had been as a kid. Well, this version anyway. Somewhere around seven, Ven would wager, little Tom went from shy and hiding to a destructive mini terror.

The Tom before him was probably around four if Ventus had to guess. Four or five.

"Is… Is that boy really that bad?"

Despite being smaller, Little Tom technically had all the memories of the other Tom's. Including the most psychotic one. So, it wasn't surprising that Little Tom knew exactly what Ventus had been complaining about.

Ventus sighed again.

"I… Yes and no. Vanitas and I have a complicated history. I just don't know which him I'm dealing with, which is why I want Harry to stay away." Ventus said, turning away and gazing at the horizon.

Vanitas.

What an annoying other half to have.

Ventus didn't need to turn to see Tom shift from child to adult.

"Version? What interesting terminology to use. What do you mean by that?"

Ventus laughed. Shooting a look over his shoulders, he locked eyes with Voldemort's own glowing red.

"What's to say I don't mean he's like you, Tom? What am I doing here anyways… Telling you things is stupid. The little you has some hope, but you? You're a monster." Ventus stated unrepentantly.

He was standing before a man that had taken one look at a child and decided killing them would be a fun idea.

Voldemort took no offense.

Instead, he merely grinned.

With a roll of his eyes, Ventus turned away, a flick of his Keyblade sealing the other away again in this one dark little corner.

Hm.

Maybe he should track down what was left of Lily again. There wasn't much, just one last lingering sentiment that had powered Dumbledore's so called blood wards, but who knows. Maybe outside of the Dursley's, she'd have more energy and more of a form instead of just a blob of 'protect Harry'.

* * *

 

Harry had been wrong. This was a terrible way to start the school year.

"Mr. Potter. Our new… Celebrity."

Zacharias notably snickered. The snicker died when he realized only he had laughed and that even Snape was shooting him a raised eyebrow look of 'what do you think you're doing'. Then, Snape's eyes focused back on Harry, so much hate sweltering below the surface that Harry, for a second, thought he saw a dark shadow surrounding the Potions Master.

Harry resisted the urge to groan.

Great.

Super Chibi Greasy Vernon Junior.


	14. Classes

A/N: Hi. Soooo, that little omake with Ventus and Ava? Thatttt was a joke. That seriously did not happen. If it did, I'd be thrilled but meh. They don't actually reveal who the actual traitor was, but Ava does end up triggering the Keyblade War when she attacks Luxu. Why this triggers the war is beyond me, but it did. Hence the omake.

Published: 5/14/2018

Warnings: None

Underline: Ventus

_Italics: Sora_

* * *

** Chapter 14 **

**Classes**

Harry  **James**  Potter, before him at last. Snape had prepared himself for this. He had had years to prepare for this. For this single moment. For this moment, gazing into those familiar eyes out of that twisted face.

The product of betrayal.

There was no other definition for it. No other way to word it. No other way to define it. That's exactly what this brat was. Sometimes, Snape wondered where exactly it all went wrong.

For a brief moment, he remembered calling Lily that dreadful name. A name that he regretted even now. Had that been it?

No, Severus realized. It hadn't been that at all. That explained Snape's parting with Lily, to be sure, but not the rest.

How James Potter and Lily Evans fell in love with each other was beyond him, but Snape suspected it was the war. In such trifling times, such relationships are born. Born under the fires of the struggle, born under the desire to have something more, something to exist for. Duress was such a shining motivator.

Regardless, Snape would never know now. He could never know, because Lily had been blow to pieces the second the Dark Lord's curse had rebounded, along with half the house.

And here stood the product of that all.

Lily really had outdone herself.

In her spite of him, she'd gone off and breeded with Snape's childhood bully faster than you could say the word 'petty'.

The brat was a Hufflepuff, too. Snape hadn't been the only one shocked by that development before waving it off. Still. This child might be different from his father.

Might, but that face, and those eyes? They mocked him. Mocked him, because in the back of Snape's head, he could see it. He could see James Potter, learing at him, an arm wrapped triumphantly around Lily's shoulders.

Lily, dead and gone and broken. Broken, because the Dark Lord had lied. He'd promised to spare her, but he'd been adamant. The child would die. The child had to die, according to the Dark Lord.

It made Snape regret ever pledging allegiance, really. Any psychopath that believed a baby, of all things, would bring them to an end didn't deserve followers.

Then again… Potter had. A two year old had literally brought the Dark Lord's reign to its end.

What an utterly fascinating child.

"Mr. Potter. Our new… Celebrity." Snape snarked.

To his surprise, one of the Hufflepuffs actually broke into chortles. Chortles that quickly died when he realized no one else found it amusing. Snape turned to said child, raising a single eyebrow.

Smith's mirth died, cheeks stained red as he looked away.

Hn. Potter had already managed to turn one of the Hufflepuffs against him. Of course he had. How the child of James Potter had managed to get into the house of the loyal and the kind was beyond Snape, but it seemed he was already starting to show signs of his true colors. His true twisted disposition.

Snape locked eyes with the boy, not bothering for even a second to hide his smoldering hatred. This boy was the physical representation of every mistake in Snape's life, every anguish, every pained moment. Hating him was so simple, so easy.

Hating him was second nature.

Potter had the audacity to groan. Oh wait. No. He held it back, but only barely. Snape growled, eyes narrowed.

Then, without an ounce of hesitation, he locked gazes and pushed. What exactly made this boy tick, really?

Snape had no intent of riddling through the boy's memories. Of ripping his way into the boy's mind. To do so to a child was dangerous beyond belief, an act that could turn Potter into a vegetable and land Snape in Azkaban faster than you can blink.

Skimming, through?

That, Snape could do.

Casual legilimency was the easiest. The simplest form of the art which many had dubbed as 'mind reading'. It involved gazing at the mere surface, taking bits and pieces from it without being too invasive. Against a practiced Occlumence, such an art would be utterly useless. Against Potter?

There would be no defense. Besides, no harm would come from a skim.

And, of course, because Harry Potter existed for the sole purpose of being the bane of Snape's existence, everything went completely and utterly wrong as Snape was pulled head first right into the filthy brats mind.

* * *

Sora blinked.

Since when do random strangers come barreling down from the sky? Sora looked up. Was there a hole somewhere in the sky? Where more people going to descend, crashing onto his beach? Should he expect Riku to randomly show up, blasting his way past an army of Sora clones like he had last time?

Actually, Sora would be totally thrilled if that happened. So thrilled that his heart ached at the very thought before tossing it away.

That life was gone, ripped away from him. Sora didn't like to dwell on it. He was more of a live in the now kind of guy, not a drown yourself in the past you can no longer have kind of person.

For a moment, Sora wondered how Riku was. He hoped he was okay. He hoped everyone was okay, despite the fact that he was gone.

Elsewhere, Riku ran about the Elemental Nations causing utter hell in every which place he could.

Wait. Sora was getting away from the present. Conjuring a stick out of thin air, Sora began to poke their unexpected guest. Said guest did not respond, eyes shut close, clearly unconscious from his fall.

Sora titled his head.

Wait a second…

Greasy hair… Dark robes… Pale skin… Sora gasped.

Behind Sora, there was a growl. Sora turned. Ventus materialized out of thin air, seemingly materializing form the wind itself. Stalking forth, the blond… Reminded Sora a lot of Roxas, actually, with the furious air he was exuding.

Ventus looked at Sora before turning away, eyes narrowing as they locked onto their guest. He stalked forth, gaze locked as he tilted his head.

"Snape? Snape knocked his way in here? Huh. I… Kinda expected Dumbledore, really." Ventus stated, bewildered, anger seemingly fading away in the face of astonishment.

"Do you know him?"

"Not this time around, I don- … Why in the hell are you poking him with a stick?"

Sora blushed, tossing said stick behind him while whistling innocently. An innocent whistle that did nothing in the face of Ventus' utter unimpressed stare. Sighing, Ventus turned away, eyes locking back on the sleeping Snape.

"He triggered my trap." Ventus said, as if this explained everything.

Except no, it explained nothing because Sora wasn't aware of any so called trap, and he voiced as such.

"My trap, incase someone tried to invade Harry's head. Or his heart. They'd end up here, with us, and then we could take care of it. Ah, I hope the other half of the trap... " Ventus closed his eyes, raising his head a little in the direction of the sky. Sora recognized it as Ventus' look through Harry face. Opening his eyes again, Ventus nodded to himself, looking smug. "Yep, that triggered too!"

"What triggered?" Sora asked, feeling more confused by the second.

"Time freezing spell! So, we have a little time! Now…" Ventus turned towards Snape, his expression turning downright feral. Sora resisted the urge to take a step back, only now remembering that this was the same boy that had been perfectly willing to tear his own heart to pieces if it meant getting back at someone that had harmed the people he loved.

Ventus cracked his knuckles.

"What do we do with this little invader, huh?"

* * *

Harry watched in confusion as Professor Snape staggered back after locking gazes with him. Snape's hand darted out, gripping onto the desk before him to steady himself.

For the rest of the class, Snape refused to even acknowledge him, running about the classroom and pretending Harry didn't exist.

O… Kay?

Weird, but Vernon had been worse. Harry could deal with this just fine.

* * *

Harry stared at the match.

The match stared at Harry.

Well, not really, but it felt like it was staring at Harry.

Harry twitched.

How was he supposed to turn the match into metal, anyways? What did the two even have to do with one another? Where was the logic behind this? What was the use of this, anyways?

Hm. Actually, Harry supposed if one could turn wood into metal and metal into wood, you could switch back and forth with ease depending on what you needed at the time. But didn't this type of magic wear off after a bit? What was the point of Transfiguration if that was the case? What was the whole point?

Harry poked at the match with his wand, flummoxed.

Hm. Wouldn't it make more sense to change his wand into random things, now that he thought about it?

Harry lifted said wand, eyeing it speculatively.

Don't you dare, Harry.

Harry pouted.

No. For all we know, the wand will explode on you. It's not a Keyblade. We'll teach you with one of those.

Harry perked.

_When you're older. Much, much older._

Harry twitched. Great. If dad, of all people, was reluctant to let Harry near a Keyblade, he probably wouldn't be touching one until he was in his thirties. Lovely.

Harry turned back to the match. Well, might as well get on with it. With a sigh, Harry waved his wand over the match, muttering the spell McGonagall had instructed them.

A blast of wind turned his desk, along with the next few, into awesome brand new matchsticks for the rest of the the First Years. Harry eeped, leaping up in surprise as the entire class turned to look at him in shock.

"Er… Oops?" Harry apologized.

McGonagall groaned, burring her face in the palm of her hand.

"Oh god, not another one."

* * *

Charms with Slytherin actually proved to be a little more effective than Transfiguration, although Harry supposed that had more to do with Eiko somehow managing to cancel out Harry accidentally enchanting half the furniture in the room to float about.

_Huh. So that's the spell Merlin kept using! Hey, Ven, do you think Merlin is from this world?_

…

_Hey! Why are you looking at me like that? Why are you smashing your face against that tree? Hey, Ven!_

Terra, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever accused you of being stupid. I was wrong. So, so wrong. I now see stupidity for what it truly is, and it's right here in front of my face.

_Hey!_

"Oh my! What wonderful display of magic!" Flitwick cheered, his tiny form practically bubbling from excitement. Harry blushed.

Eiko glared at him.

"More like wonderful show of lack of control!" the girl accused, hands on her hips as she frowned at Harry.

Harry eeped. She wasn't exactly wrong.

* * *

Harry was the first Hufflepuff in leaving memory to run in fright from the Herbology class. In his defense, the second he had walked in, half the plants had taken a single whiff of him(and how plants did that was beyond him, but, apparently, they did) and they attempted to take a chunk out of him.

Luckily, that class was with Gryffindors.

Unluckily, Harry and Vivi received detention when Vivi burned off the vines that had entrapped Harry, as Professor Sprout refused to believe they hadn't provoked one of her precious plants into attack mode one way or another.

* * *

Defense Against the Dark Arts was so boring Harry almost fell asleep in the middle of the lesson. Who in their right mind thought Quirrell would make a good Professor when the man was literally terrified of his own shadow?

* * *

History of Magic actually did end with Harry falling asleep in the middle of class.

Ventus sighed, shooting a glare at a sheepish looking Sora.

"He so gets this from you."

Sora shrugged, not bothering denying it.

* * *

The one class Harry truly paid attention too, though, was the very last one of the day. Although, calling it day really wasn't appropriate. At all. Leave it to Hogwarts to have one class that has to be taught at Midnight.

Well, technically it could be taught at other times, but Midnight was the time it was taught best.

Why?

"Several years ago, we observed a very odd phenomena when studying the stars. Several actually went out, completely." Professor Sinistra spoke.

Went out? Why… Did that sound familiar? Beside Harry, Hermione's face scrunched. Harry edged away from his friend slightly. She looked like she was ready to blow, which he so did not want to be near if she actually did.

"What? But that isn't… That isn't possible, Professor! How can stars just go out?" Hermione asked, disbelief clouding her voice. If Professor Sinistra heard it, she didn't comment.

On the other side of the room, Dora snorted. Harry twisted towards the other boy, except Dora wasn't looking at him. Instead, orange eyes were locked up to the sky, on the stars themselves.

"Frankly, my dear, we never did discover the 'how'. What we do know, however, that the fading of the stars coincided with the Dark Lord's rise to power." Professor Sinistra stated.

Several people flinched at that.

"Wait… That… Those two events can't possibly be related, can they?" Zacharias asked, sounded a bit frightened.

Professor Sinistra turned to him.

"My dear boy, of course it can. The flow of the stars affect the flow of magic itself. The Dark Lord didn't choose his moment by chance. No. He chose his moment as the stars began to fade because it fueled his power."

"But the stars didn't fade! Stars can't fade!" Hermione continued to protest.

Beside her, Ron frowned.

"Stop that! 'Course they can fade. It wouldn't be the first time."

_ What? _

Harry resisted the urge to grip his ears as dual voices assaulted it at the same time.

Professor Sinistra turned towards Hermione.

"I can assure you, child, that they have and can before. Rarely have we recorded such events, but they have come to pass. Like many things in the universe, the flow of the stars affect the flow of magic. Their shine effects our eb and flow, just as you'll find a fire spell will burn brightly under the glare of the sun and a water spell will flounder under the light of a full moon." Professor Sinistra explained.

Then, the woman turned back towards the stars, hand extending out towards them.

"That, Miss Granger, is why we study the stars. Why we study the skies. For in their flow, we see shift and change. The stars do not change destiny. That is but a fairy tail. However, they can change the energies that we Wizards and Witches tap into, and that is why studying them is vital. Why certain potions only flourish under their glow, by their leave." Professor Sinistra turned back to them.

"And that, my students, is what we shall be learning in my class. The flow of stars, of planets distant and far, and the effect they have on us even here, eons away."

… Harry. Pay attention to this class. Every last detail.

Harry couldn't help but nod, attention rapt on Professor Sinistra. Beside Harry, Hermione looked around, her expression somewhat disgusted before falling into resignation. Well. If everyone else wanted to believe that the angle of Pluto's axis could change the flow of the universe, then she supposed the price for magic truly was obvious.

Sanity and common sense for power. Yupp. That had to be it. Shrugging, Hermione decided she'd just accept it as a fact of life, and not let it bother her.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I now have a tumblr. Same username as on here. I've just started the thing, but I'll be posting random things there for all my stories
> 
> [UnknownUnseenUnheard](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/unknownunseenunheard)
> 
> * * *


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